FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Heading into the season opener, the New England Patriots’ answer at kick returner is: whoever’s ready.
Throughout the summer, the team rotated in numerous different players in that role, but none truly cemented themselves as the true top option. And on Thursday, Patriots special teams coordinator Jeremy Springer was asked who the team's kickoff returners will be.
Instead of naming someone specific, he kept the answer open.
“We got a number of guys that will do it,” Springer said. “Like we’re going to go into the game, whoever’s going to be active, running backs, receivers, DBs, like we’ll figure that part out as we get closer to the game. Right now, we’re still trying to, like, prep and get the guys ready and just kind of figure out who the one-
or two-punch is here and there and just kind of roll with that.”
Kyle Williams remains a likely candidate, with the wide receiver having returned 11 kickoffs last season, averaging 26.4 yards per return. And alongside him could be fullback Reggie Gilliam, whom the team brought in this offseason and who can serve as the lead blocker. Efton Chism also returned kickoffs last season and could be in that role once again.
“We got guys that can all play that we’ve been repping through training camp. Now it’s about finding the pieces that we want to really play with as we get closer to the game,” Springer said. “… But Kyle’s done a great job. What I love about Kyle is whatever the role is, he’s going to do it like Mack Hollins, like Chism. That group of receivers, you tell them what to do, they’ll do it. They’ve all been working hard at different positions for us, and hopefully, you know, as time progresses, he continues to progress and get more mature as a vet guy now in year two. So see how that goes.”
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This article originally appeared on Patriots Wire: One starting job remains mystery for Patriots ahead of season opener
