Bedard: Catching up on Boutte, Gonzalez, Patriots depth, roster cuts and more entering preseason finale

Had some personal business to tend to right after the Eagles' preseason game, so apologize on the lateness of some of this stuff, but wanted to get my thoughts out there on a variety of subjects before the Patriots' meaningless finale (entire preseason?) against the Browns, where the starters will once again sit:

• Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald announced his starters will also sit their final preseason game, so both teams will start the NFL season on the same footing — none of their starters faced live action in the preseason.

• On the Kayshon Boutte trade...

I tried to warn you that there wouldn't be much compensation because Boutte was off most teams' boards entering the draft, and that doesn't just get erased with one solid season. Basically, they did a little bit better than the late-round compensatory pick they might not have received in 2028.

It ends one of the more overrated tenures in recent Patriots history. Boutte, if you averaged out his production to 17 games (which he never played), it was 2.6 catches, 39.3 yards and 0.3 TDs the past two seasons, when the Patriots had no receivers. Drake Maye was almost the MVP. He's the best deep ball thrower in the league. Boutte's a good deep ball receiver. Patriots had no receivers beyond Stef Diggs, who played like half the snaps, against the easiest passing schedule in the league and the best Boutte could do was 33 catches? That should tell you a lot. The guy can't get open enough for Maye to throw him the ball, which is why they went out and got AJ Brown and Romeo Doubs. It was over then.

That being said, I think he's still here if he didn't ask for a trade. But I would have asked for one as well. The writing was on the wall. Boutte thanked the Patriots for doing right by him.

I have no issue with them granting his request. It's time to go with Kyle Williams and see what he can do. I think Mack Hollins was also ahead of Boutte in many areas.

• I'm not saying Kyle Williams is going to be good, there are definitely some holes in his game (fighting back for the ball, playing tougher over the middle). We'll see if he can get better, but with more playing time he should give you what Boutte did, with the speed upside (double Williams' playing time last year and goes 20-400-6; Boutte had 2 catches, 15 yards as a rookie). Somebody needs to bring some speed to that room and the field. Why do you think they couldn't do anything in the playoffs last year, vs. Seattle? Nobody could get off man, and they were too slow. Yeah, go ahead and put Brown, Doubs, Boutte and Hollins on the field ... slowest WRs in the league. You have to have a speed guy, and you try to make it work for at least two years. This year is the referendum on Williams.

• Patriots' receiver depth chart before the trade:

Brown
Doubs
Douglas
Hollins - in the joint practices, he's in all the red zone and two-minute stuff, and effective.
5a. Boutte
5b. Williams

I still don't know if Chism makes the team.

• Reaction to Vrabel’s depth comments

No. 1, He was being honest. It’s the truth ... how many times did I talk about it last year? The depth is slightly better this year. Two offseasons, really one draft ... there's really only so much you can do. The Patriots were beat up, in some respects, on both lines by the Colts and Eagles, and I think Vrabel was just frustrated.

No. 2, I also think Vrabel was motivating the team to push through this last week, which is sort of a dead week. Seattle week will have juice. This week does not.

No. 3. I also think it was orchestrated to tamp down expectations - same timing as post-Minnesota last year. If they went 9-8 last year, I don’t think he says what he says. Coming off a Super Bowl, fans think they dominated the Eagles joint practices (the Patriots were saying different privately, which Vrabel voiced this week on WEEI). Basically, Vrabel was saying, '“Yeah, we went to the Super Bowl last year, but don’t go crazy. We had a lot of luck, the schedule, so don’t expect that this year. We're still in the middle of a rebuild, and it's going to take time and multiple drafts to get the depth to a place like Philly or Seattle, where the GMs have had long tenures.

• Belichick absolutely deserves some of the blame (Wolf's 2024 draft gets most of it) because the Vrabel regime had to spend most of their money and draft assets just to get the starting lineup up to a competitive level. 

Starters the Patriots had spent a premium on just to get the roster competitive (12) …. Brown, Doubs, Campbell, AVT, Wilson, Moses; Willliams, Landry, Jones, Spillane, Davis, Byard … Hollins, Lomu and Jacas too.

These are the Belichick starters left over: Rhamondre Stevenson and Mike Onwenu on offense, Christian Gonzalez, Marcus Jones and Christian Barmore on defense. That's it.

These guys should have been starters or top depth, if Belichick didn’t fall off a cliff:

Offense

N'Keal Harry/Thornton
Asisasi/Keene
Froholdt... Bill cut the guy who just got an extension from the Cardinals!
Cole Strange
Jake Andrews
Sidy Sow
Polk, Wallace, Robinson, Baker (Wolf)

Defense

Joejuan Williams
Winovich
Dugger
Uche
Jennings
Keion White
Mapu

Special teams

Rohrwasser or Ryland

The Patriots need the 2026 draft to hit in a year, and another good draft in 2027 for the depth to get there.

• Speaking of the Patriots' lack of depth and their struggles at defending the run, I have learned that the Patriots lost Khyiris Tonga for less than $500,000. The Patriots, led by Matt Groh in negotiations, would not go that far, and Tonga's price tag greatly increased as he got to free agency.

That's why a really good player is no longer here.

• On the Christian Gonzalez negotiations...

Like I've said before, what Kraft and Wolf touched on, "highest paid cornerback," is the easiest part of the deal. That's new money. No matter what they sign him to now, it will look like a bargain in 2028.

It has to be about the first two years. The Krafts haven't done that before, not that high.

The only comparable deal is Barmore's extension. Cash by year

Barmore's deal, cash by year

Year 4: $19.8 million
5 11.5
6 13.3 (this year)
7 20
8 21

Barmore got about $31 million in the first two years of the deal, and they did not have the fifth-year option (it would have been a franchise tag).

I'm guessing the Patriots were prepared to go to around $50 million the first two years with Gonzalez, but Witherspoon's deal blew it out of the water.

• It's certainly not unprecedented if Gonzalez plays this season on his rookie deal. Trent McDuffie, Jaycee Horn, Jalen Ramsey and A.J. Terrell all did that. 

"Moving forward now, really, it's just about the season and about [Friday's] game," McDuffie said last year before the season started. "I'm not too worried about the contract. That can just happen in the [next] offseason. Let's just go out there and have a great year."

I do not think we're going to hear that kind of talk out of Gonzalez, who could very well not play in Week 1 (I think he was smart to leave it open-ended with the media). 

The Patriots need Gonzalez this year due to their issues on edge. And it would be beyond embarrassing if he does not suit up for the opener, while the Seahawks have Witherspoon out there. And they've given out four large extensions this offseason. The Krafts don't want broadcast to the entire league.

I think the Krafts will cave in the days leading up to the game.

At the very least, they need to give Gonzalez about a $20 million roster bonus for this season to save some face to the team, and kick the can down the road another year, when they could trade him and replace him in the draft. The Patriots have had too many other holes to address to do that this past offseason, although I think Karon Prunty has a chance to get to a starter level at some point.

• Eagles preseason game grades:

THREE UP

DT Leonard Williams: Was really the only impactful player (three pressures, two stuffs) in the front seven that was dominated by the Eagles' backups

CB Kindle Vildor: Was on fire early with three pass breakups. 

WR Kyle Williams: His impact through his excellent route running went way beyond the long touchdown.

THREE DOWN

OG James Hudson: He was awful in this game, but I will say he's been solid at tackle in practice once Greg Van Roten was added.

LB Chad Muma: He's really been exposed in space in the games.

TE Tanner Arkin: They still really like his blocking at the TE position, but he has really struggled taking on linebackers as a fullback.

• Caleb Lomu had another tough outing, but I did think he was improved in a lot of areas. It's really just about his consistency. He needs more time to develop, hopefully he gets there by midseason. Right now, I'd opt for Marcus Bryant as the first left tackle off the bench.

• Yes, Gabe Jacas got all of his pressure coming unblocked (including a dumb penalty), but his play was improved in this game. He corrected his TE screen screw-up from last week on the very first play. His speed and strength really pops. The Patriots look like they will have something here when (if?) the light goes on and the game slows down.