Kayshon Boutte and 2 more Patriots who made their case for a roster spot in preseason Week 2

The New England Patriots lost their second preseason game 14-13 against the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday night. Regardless of the final score, there were plenty of positives to take away from the game.

Following New England's blockbuster trade that sent outside linebacker Matthew Judon to the Atlanta Falcons, there were concerns about how the Patriots pass rush would perform. The Patriots compiled five sacks, and rising defensive stalwart Keion White provided plenty of discomfort for the Eagles quarterbacks. Although starting quarterback Jacoby Brissett struggled in the opening quarter, the Patriots offense found plenty of reasons to be excited through the remainder of the game.

Rookie quarterback Drake Maye scored his first NFL touchdown on a read-option play near the goal line and even flashed potential with some beautiful throws. It was apparent that Maye, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, still has plenty of developing to do. The rookie quarterback still needs to develop some comfort playing from under center instead of exclusively taking snaps from a shotgun formation. Nevertheless, the impressive showing helped plenty of New England's players make some progress toward securing a roster spot.

3. WR David Wallis

Wide receiver David Wallis has a long road to make any NFL roster. Wallis played at the Division III level and recorded 146 receptions for 3,144 yards and 34 touchdowns during his five years at Randolph-Macon College in Virginia. In June, the Patriots signed the wideout as an undrafted free agent.

Although Wallis has been buried on the wide receiver depth chart, he has made his impact felt on special teams over New England's two preseason games. The rookie evaded three tacklers to pick up a 23-yard punt return during New England's preseason opener against the Panthers.

In the fourth quarter against the Eagles, Wallis nearly became the first player to return a kickoff for a touchdown under the league's new kickoff structure. Wallis returned the kickoff for 53 yards before being chased out of bounds. He muffed a punt later in the quarter but managed to fall on top of it before the Eagles could chase it down.

Wallis averaged 20.2 yards on 22 kick returns at college, but he did not return any kicks in 2023.

2. K Joey Slye

The Patriots selected kicker Chad Ryland in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL Draft, making him the second-highest drafted kicker of the draft class. Despite the early selection, Ryland struggled throughout his rookie season. New England brought in veteran kicker Joey Slye to create a training camp kicking competition after Ryland's tumultuous rookie season. Although Ryland performed better early in training camp, Slye has found his groove lately.

On Thursday night, Slye was given the opportunity to kick both of New England's field goals, and the kicker took full advantage. Slye connected on a 51-yard attempt in the second quarter and a 45-yard kick in the fourth quarter, while Ryland was limited to just an extra point attempt following Maye's touchdown run.

Slye and Ryland have both made 29 total kicks through training camp and the preseason, according to ESPN's Mike Reiss. Although Slye has missed one more kick than Ryland, the veteran's monster performance may be enough to give him the edge through two preseason games.

1. WR Kayshon Boutte

With veteran wide receiver Kendrick Bourne on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list, the Patriots wide receiver room will likely be led by DeMario Douglas, Ja'Lynn Polk, Javon Baker, K.J. Osborn, Jalen Reagor and Tyquan Thornton. That leaves no room for Kayshon Boutte, a seventh-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.

Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo didn't rule out the possibility of Boutte earning a roster spot after the wideout's impressive performance, however. Mayo was asked about Boutte's chances of making the roster during his postgame press conference, according to Alex Barth of 985 The Sports Hub.

"He's making a great case," Mayo said "Seems like every day he's making plays. ... He definitely has a chance."

Boutte finished as the Patriots leading receiver for the second consecutive preseason game. During New England's preseason opener against the Carolina Panthers, Boutte reeled in three of six targets for 53 yards. Against the Eagles, Boutte finished with three receptions for 23 yards. In the second quarter, Maye throw an inaccurate pass to Boutte in the flat, but the wide receiver made a spectacular one-handed catch to secure the ball.