The New England Patriots made some serious investments in their wide receiver group this offseason, but they also retained a majority of the talent they already had under contract in 2025. One part of that group was Efton Chism, an undrafted rookie free agent who made the 53-man roster out of camp and remained there as a role player throughout the season.
Whether 2026 will be a continuation of that, or indeed see an uptick in opportunities, will be seen.
Hard facts
Name: Efton Chism III
Position: Wide receiver
Jersey number: 86
Opening day age: 24 (10/26/2001)
Measurements: 5’10 1/2”, 198 lbs, 9” hand size, 30 1/2” arm length, 73 1/2” wingspan, 4.71s 40-yard dash, 6.77s 3-cone drill, 4.06s short shuttle, 34 1/2” vertical jump, 9’10” broad jump, 16 bench press reps, 5.19 Relative Athletic Score
Experience
NFL: New England Patriots (2025-) | College: Eastern Washington (2020-24)
A three-star recruit out of Monroe, WA, High School, Chism decided to spend his entire five-year college career in his home state, albeit on the other side of the Cascades. He joined the University of Eastern Washington and saw action right out of the gate as the Eagles’ main punt returner and a rotational member of their receiving corps. He took over a bigger role on offense as a sophomore and never looked back.
When he left EWU for the NFL following the 2024 season, Chism had appeared in 53 games with 42 starts and caught 346 passes for 3,852 yards and 37 touchdowns. He also was named All-Big Sky in each of his final four seasons in Cheney (first team 2023 and 2024, third team 2021 and 2022) and additionally voted to two FCS All-American squads (first team 2024, third team. 2023). He also registered a catch in 53 straight games — i.e. all of his college games — to break Cooper Kupp’s FCS record.
Even though his college career was impressive and he followed the footsteps of other EWU products such as Kupp and Kendrick Bourne, NFL scouts were not that high on him coming out. He did not hear his name called in the 2025 draft and joined the Patriots as a free agent afterwards. In his rookie season, he saw action in 10 games and caught four passes for 95 yards and a touchdown.
Scouting report
Strengths: Chism looks like a prototypical slot receiver, and he offers plenty of the qualities traditionally associated with the position. He is compactly built with some good quickness and the ability to run crisp routes. Add his ability to adjust his tempo depending on his route and opponent, and you get a player capable of getting open effectively especially in the short and intermediate parts of the field. However, he also runs a well-branched-out route tree and is comfortable lining up in various spots in the formation and in the return game; he is more flexible than a classic slot-only option.
Chism also has some very good and typically reliable hands as well as the ability, concentration and body control to track the ball in the air and finish difficult catches. His play strength is another plus; it developed nicely since his college days and allows him to remain on the field for run plays.
Weaknesses: At 5-foot-10 and 193 pounds, Chism lacks size and length. He will not pose a particular physical threat to defensive backs and can thus find himself swallowed up by cornerbacks able to get their hands on him upon his release. Despite some good feet, he generally is not the most fluid mover and lacks both explosiveness into his routes as well as the long speed to threaten defenses vertically. His work as a returner, meanwhile, has been nothing special since entering the NFL.
2025 review
Stats: 10 games (1 start) | 128 offensive snaps (9.4%), 67 special teams snaps (12.2%) | 4 targets, 4 catches (100%), 95 receiving yards (23.8/catch), 1 TD | 0-for-1 passing | 19 kickoff returns, 451 yards (23.7/return) | 0 penalties
Season recap: Coming off a record-breaking college career, Chism was invited to both the Hula Bowl and the East-West Shrine Bowl but ultimately did not rise his stock to a draftable level. He did, however, get picked up as a rookie free agent fairly quickly: the Patriots signed him shortly after the seventh round, giving him a three-year deal that came with a $25,000 signing bonus and $234,000 salary guarantee — a significant investment into a UDFA, which reflects the interest he had.
Once in Foxborough, Chism served mainly as a backup receiver who did manage to get the occasional practice rep with Drake Maye and the starting offense. His most notable performance, however, came in the second preseason game against Minnesota: he finished the contest with six catches for 71 yards and a touchdown, effectively securing a spot on the team.
Chism indeed made the 53-man squad as one of initially seven wideouts, but spent the first five weeks of the season as a healthy scratch. He made his debut in Week 6 against the Saints, running back five kickoffs for 129 yards. From there on, he served as both a part-time returner and a part-time receiver.
His first extended action on offense came in the final two weeks of the regular season. With Kayshon Boutte and Mack Hollins both injured, he caught three passes for 75 yards and his first career TD in blowout wins over the Jets and Dolphins.
Chism also saw action in the Patriots’ wild card win over the Chargers, adding a 20-yard catch to his résumé and attempting a reverse-pass that ended up sailing beyond Drake Maye’s reach. He occasionally also ran back kicks throughout, but ultimately lost that job to D’Ernest Johnson. And with both Boutte and Hollins returning as well, he ended the season with a pair of healthy deactivations again.
Overall, though, Chism’s first year in the NFL can be considered a success — especially given his background as an undrafted rookie out of the FCS.
2026 preview
Position: Z/F-receiver | Ability: Depth player/Role player | Contract: Signed through 2027 (2028 RFA)
What will be his role? Even though he is built like one, Chism is not your typical slot receiver. To put it in different terms: he is more Julian Edelman than Danny Amendola. This means he also is used as a flanker on occasion and can line up in the Z-receiver spot without much of a problem as well. In that role, he projects as a rotational backup behind both Romeo Doubs (Z) and DeMario Douglas (F).
What is his growth potential? Chism already showed some impressive growth during his rookie campaign, and the arrow continues pointing upward. While it remains to be seen how high his ceiling actually lies, it would be unrealistic and indeed unfair to expect him to become the next Julian Edelman. What he can be, though, is a valuable rotational piece and possible return option even before the end of his rookie contract — which, in itself, would not be a bad outcome for a former undrafted player.
Does he have positional versatility? Chism is decently versatile. He can play in the slot and split out wide on offense, moving between the Z and F positions. He also has return experience, even though his success in the punt game has somewhat surprisingly been limited.
What is his salary cap situation? Entering the second year of his rookie pact, Chism carries a $1.013 million salary cap hit. That number consists of a $1.005 million base salary and his $8,333 signing bonus proration, with the latter the only guarantee in the pact.
How safe is his roster spot? Will there be an Efton Schism, the scientifically accurate term for the second-year wide receiver getting released? It is possible given that the Patriots only have that many roster spots available. At the moment, he and Kyle Williams project as the sixth and seventh options at the wide receiver position, although Chism has spent more time with the Drake Maye-led units this summer. Preseason and the uncertain status of trade candidate Kayshon Boutte will also impact his outlook.
Summary: The Patriots clearly like what Chism offers, which is unsurprising given that he perfectly fits a Josh McDaniels inside receiver. While that alone will not help him stay on the team, we are leaning toward him making it in a reserve role yet again.
What do you think about Efton Chism heading into the 2026 season? Will he end up making the roster? And if so, how involved will he really be? Please head down to the comment section to share your thoughts.
