The New England Patriots revamped their wide receiver corps over the offseason, trading for A.J. Brown and signing Romeo Doubs to a four-year, $68 million deal. Through the opening game, it's not looking like much of an improvement.
Brown suffered an ankle injury early in the third quarter Wednesday against the Seattle Seahawks, finishing with only three catches for 26 yards. Doubs was abysmal in his debut, dropping what would've been a wide-open first down and failing to come down with a contested catch that resulted in a Seahawks interception. The former Green Bay Packer saw limited snaps and went catchless on three targets.
New England traded one of Drake Maye's favorite receivers, Kayshon Boutte, just before the season, with Mike Vrabel explaining
he likely would've been inactive with where the roster stood. It's now looking like a potential season-defining mistake.
Will Patriots regret trading Kayshon Boutte?
It certainly seems that way. Boutte was Maye's trusted deep target, a player he could lob it up to and more often than not, it resulted in a big play. Maye didn't throw many deep balls Wednesday night, but one he did launch to Doubs got batted in the air and taken away.
Tipped and intercepted by Nehemiah Pritchett!
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Even if Doubs bounces back, Boutte could've given the Patriots some valuable depth if Brown misses time with the ankle injury. Instead, they got the Houston Texans' 2028 seventh-round pick and safety Jaylen Reed, who didn't record a single tackle in his New England debut.
The Texans reportedly have immediate plans for Boutte, who's set to start alongside Nico Collins as C.J. Stroud aims for a resurgent season. If Boutte has a big game right after the Patriots' nightmare opener, this trade will begin to live in infamy among New England fans.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Patriots' Kayshon Boutte trade is already looking regrettable
