Rookie wide receiver Kayshon Boutte earned a spot on the New England Patriots roster after a strong finish to training camp. The sixth-round draft pick had a prominent role in the team's season opener vs. the Philadelphia Eagles, but he's been a healthy scratch ever since.
What gives?
During his Friday press conference, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick was asked about Boutte's absence and gave a blunt response.
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“It’s a very competitive situation,” he said. “I feel like we have a lot of competition at that position. Everybody’s in it. The guys who perform the best play the most, the guys who don’t need to perform better.”
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Boutte's lone performance left plenty to be desired. The LSU product was on the field for 55 of a possible 80 snaps and failed to haul in a reception on four targets. He appeared to make a clutch fourth-down grab inside the 10-yard line late in the game but only had one foot inbounds, resulting in a 25-20 defeat.
With Boutte inactive, the Patriots' receiver depth chart has consisted of Kendrick Bourne, DeVante Parker, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Demario Douglas, and Tyquan Thornton. They signed Jalen Reagor to the 53-man roster from the practice squad ahead of Sunday's game against the Miami Dolphins.
“They’re all competing," Belichick added. "We have a number of players that I think are all — again, it’s very competitive. We’ll see how that goes.”
Boutte is expected to be inactive yet again in Week 8 as the Patriots look to earn their second consecutive upset victory over an AFC East rival. Patriots-Dolphins is set for a 1 p.m. ET kickoff at Hard Rock Stadium.