Added competition for WR targets

With the Patriots having added Romeo Doubs in free agency and traded for A.J. Brown, Evan Lazar of the team's official site suggests that Boutte is in line to compete for snaps in three-receiver sets.

As things stand, Brown and Doubs sit atop the Patriots WR depth chart, leaving Boutte, Mack Hollins, DeMario Douglas and Kyle Williams to compete for snaps and targets that don't go to the top duo. Boutte is coming of a 2025 campaign in which he caught 33 of 46 targets for 551 yards and six touchdowns in 14 regular-season games, but with Brown and Doubs destined to command plenty of attention from QB Drake Maye, the 2023 sixth-rounder's fantasy upside could take a hit in 2026. It's also possible that New England will elect to explore the possibility of dealing Boutte, with NESN's Dakota Randall noting via ESPN's Adam Schefter, that the 24-year-old, who hasn't been present for voluntary OTAs, "has been interested in a trade."