Had Kayshon Boutte remained on the Patriots’ roster for Week 1 against the Seattle Seahawks, he would have been inactive.
Head coach Mike Vrabel revealed that detail Thursday night, speaking for the first time since Boutte was traded to the Houston Texans on Monday.
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“That was one place where we do have some depth, and I think for all parties involved, that was probably the best thing,” Vrabel told reporters in Cleveland. “Without injuries, Kayshon probably would have been inactive. Unfortunately, it just, it’s kind of the way it was. It’s just with him not playing special teams.”
As Vrabel noted, New England’s wide receiver room is the deepest position on the roster, with A.J. Brown, Romeo Doubs, DeMario Douglas, Mack Hollins, Kyle Williams and Efton Chism. All six are expected to be on the team’s 53-man roster.
The Patriots added both Brown and Doubs to the mix this offseason, pushing Boutte down the depth chart. Vrabel made sure to show appreciation for Boutte, as he often did throughout last season.
“I tried to thank Kayshon as many times I could. I texted him again today,” Vrabel said. “It’s just his maturity, his growth, his ability to put into words last year and share his own personal struggle, but also the growth that he made from that. That’s positively going to affect a lot of people. And I know that that wasn’t easy for him to do, and I tell him all the time about how much I respect him for being able to do that.”
The Patriots traded Boutte to the Texans for safety Jaylen Reed and a 2028 seventh-round pick. Reed will add depth at safety while also providing another option on special teams.
