The New England Patriots still have a vacancy for their No. 2 receiver position and it looks like they might be figuring out who could fill that role. According to Doug Kyed of the Boston Globe, Efton Chism looked “like a cheat code” during OTAs on Monday. He’s the second rookie receiver since the draft to make an impression.
First it was third-round pick Kyle Williams and now it’s Chism. This is important because the Patriots desperately need a perfect complement to Stefon Diggs. New England has struggled to draft receivers well. From N’Keal Harry to Tyquan Thornton, they’ve just made abysmal picks.
That puts the pressure on players that weren’t expected to have a significant role, to produce at a much higher level. Chism and Williams could ultimately fall into that trap too. Fortunately, they have some early hype it could be enough to propel this offense.
The New England Patriots have one piece of the puzzle, but Stefon Diggs is no superhero
Chism flexing his ability with seven catches on seven targets from all three QBs in Monday’s OTA session is a step in the right direction, but it’s been the one thing that’s held the Patriots back for years now. They don’t have a receiver room that scares anybody.
Look at the past few seasons, since the first season without Tom Brady in 2020, New England has only had one year where their offense was inside the top 10. The other four seasons were outside the top 15 and three of them were outside the top 25.
You can blame quarterback play, inexperience or whatever makes you feel better, but the problem is they have had miserable production from their receivers. Demario Davis had the most receiving yards as a receiver each of the last two seasons and he didn’t have more than 630 receiving yards in either.
The Patriots were last in passing offense last season and 28th in passing offense in 2023. They need help imminently, which is why Chism’s strong start to OTAs is key. But it doesn’t mean much for the Patriots in the grand scheme of things.
They overpaid for Diggs to simply justify having a true No. 1 target. But if no one else steps up, it would be a waste of money. Look at the Cincinnati Bengals, they paid Tee Higgins like a No. 1 receiver because the know how important he is to the offense.
Even though Higgins takes the offense to another level with his production, if he wasn’t getting 800 plus yards, what he does to the offense when defenses take Ja’Marr Chase at the game is the most important role for him.
New England needs that for Diggs. For many years, they’ve relied on underdeveloped players to be that type of player. They don’t further develop them and as a result the Patriots’ offense stalls out. If they were to actually threaten defenses with their aerial attack, this wouldn’t be a problem.
But they don’t. That’s why right now, Chism showing his worth is good, but just the first step. If he truly is the cheat code for New England, he will become the offensive threat the Patriots really need.