Ever since the regular season opener against the Philadelphia Eagles, New England Patriots rookie wide receiver Kayshon Boutte has been on the side of a milk carton.
He has been missing in the lineup for the last six consecutive weeks with the receiving corps obviously struggling. DeVante Parker has taken a significant step back in the offense, and JuJu Smith-Schuster has yet to even get going.
Meanwhile, the Patriots have turned to the likes of Demario Douglas, Kendrick Bourne and Jalen Reagor to find an offensive pulse. The timing is perfect for Boutte to set himself apart in practice and convince the coaching staff that he’s ready to play in games.
But per Patriots coach Bill Belichick, that hasn’t happened yet.
“It’s a very competitive situation,” said Belichick, via NESN’s Dakota Randall. “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.
“They’re all competing. We have a number of players that I think are all — again, it’s very competitive. We’ll see how that goes.”
It’s hard to envision the Patriots changing course in Week 8 against the Miami Dolphins. They just signed Reagor to the 53-man roster, and Smith-Schuster is expected to return to the lineup as well.
That means Boutte will likely be left out in the cold for a seventh straight week.
