Kyle Williams seemed poised for a bigger role this season. The New England Patriots’ second-year wide receiver had flashed in preseason, been on the receiving end of some considerable praise from his head coach, and saw fellow wideout Kayshon Boutte get traded to the Houston Texans.
The stage therefore appeared set for Williams to take a leap in Year 2. Four games in, he hasn’t.
Even with the Patriots struggling with availability at his position, Williams has caught just two passes for 44 combined
yards, tying for ninth and sixth on the team in the respective categories. And yet, Mike Vrabel is still feeling good about his development.
“He continues to improve,” New England’s HC told reporters on Wednesday. “Sometimes, it’s hard to hear that or believe that when you have to be able to see the football and to be able to get it. He has helped us out on the kickoff returns. I would’ve liked for us to have thrown a better ball to him down in the end zone [against the Buffalo Bills], but that didn’t happen.”
Williams’ lack of production is not necessarily due to a lack of opportunities.
Including the play against the Bills mentioned by Vrabel — a fourth-quarter go ball down the right sideline that fell incomplete — he has been targeted seven times in 64 offensive snaps. Even though that is not a monumental number, it still puts him on track to surpass his 21-target rookie regular season in 2025.
The stats just don’t look the part just yet, something that also holds true for his role as New England’s primary kickoff returner. On 11 runbacks, the same number he had all of last season, Williams is averaging only 24.8 yards so far.
Will something change with A.J. Brown still on injured reserve and Mack Hollins’ injury outlook also unclear this season? Time will tell, but his usage so far suggests that no major change should be expected. Mike Vrabel nonetheless remains in Williams’ corner.
“I would say that he’s committed to working and improving and understanding more than one spot”, he said about Williams. “We’re excited about where he’s going to go.”
