New England Patriots wide receiver Efton Chism III was asked about Bills safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson’s postgame comments on Wednesday.
The wide receiver decided not to jab back.
“He’s a great player. They’re a great team. I got a bunch of respect for him, but we’re excited for this week, looking forward to the Raiders,” Chism said at his locker.
Chism submitted one of the early catch-of-the-year candidates last Sunday in Buffalo, fully extending with one hand to haul in the game-winning touchdown. Gardner
Johnson, however, wasn’t impressed.
“An elevated guy made a hell of a catch — probably won’t hear from him again,” Gardner-Johnson said. “A practice squad player made a hell of a play. That’s all I’m going to tell you. You do it again, and he probably won’t make it again.”
The Patriots are expecting to hear more from Chism, who — unlike Gardner-Johnson — has never been on a practice squad in his career.
With A.J. Brown remaining on injured reserve through at least next week and Mack Hollins (calf) sidelined from Wednesday’s practice, Chism is set to see increased opportunities.
“You never know when you’re going to get those opportunities,” Chism said. “Just trying to take advantage of them. Obviously excited to get A.J. back, hopefully Mack can get back here as soon as possible. We love our room. We love our team.
“For me, it’s just reset. The good, the bad, whatever it is, it’s getting back to my work and our work as a team. Try to stack another one.”
Beyond the injuries, Chism’s performance on Sunday and work ethic behind the scenes could also earn him more opportunities in the offense.
Patriots quarterback Drake Maye complimented how smart Chism is as a player and how he’s always in the right spot, a trait Maye described as reassuring for a quarterback. Now, Maye is ready to see what Chism can do with a bigger role.
“It’s been awesome just seeing Chis come in here and be the same guy,” Maye said. “From Day 1, you saw. You can tell when a guy from my experience, a receiver, who has a chance at making plays. You see that with Chis. He’s fearless.
“He’s doing a lot of the little things. He’s just showing up. He comes in everyday and always tries to see my side of things and ask questions and try to get on the sam page. And that’s what happens: you start seeing the results.”
