Efton Chism III, an undrafted free agent signed by the New England Patriots in the offseason, finally got an opportunity to do what he does best: catch passes. And his Offensive Coordinator, Josh McDaniels, has publicly praised him for his solid performance against the Jets. It's nice to see this future star get some accolades.
Another issue in this story, however, is why this prolific pass-catcher has been locked onto the Patriots bench all season and neglected by the self-same McDaniels. Questions have to be asked, and they will be. It was a mistake not to take advantage of this talented receiver all season long.
Chism was a top undrafted free agent (UDFA) signing by personnel head Mike Vrabel. He received an unusual guaranteed contract from the Patriots. This was based on his amazing performances for Eastern Washington, where he surpassed even the superb Cooper Kupps' reception record.
So all this begs the question: why has Chism been bottled up all year and received only the two targets he got against the Jets?
Efton Chism deserves the praise, but why has he been benched all season?
Efton Chism III had a breakout game - of sorts, if you can call two catches that. Yet, he proved what's been evident to many observers outside of the Patriots' locker room: the young man can play NFL football at a high level. His progress was cited by his Offensive Coordinator, Josh McDaniels.
Josh McDaniels shares he was excited and proud of the way Efton Chism played last week highlighting his toughness and dependability.
— Brian Hines (@iambrianhines) January 1, 2026
“We talk about the [team] identity so much, he went out there and embodied it with his play.”
The decision to shelve Efton Chism III for the entire season (he's had only those two targets against the Jets) is incomprehensible. While there's a lot of competition in the wide receiver room, Chism in the pre-season proved he's one of the team's best options.
He was spectacular, catching everything thrown his way, racking up massive yards after the catch, and scoring touchdowns. Yet, inexplicably, though the wide receiver room only has two receivers with more than 31 receptions (Stefon Diggs with 82 and the now-injured Mack Hollins with 46), Chism was sat on the pine all year long by Vrabel and McDaniels.
Efton Chism III deserves many more targets which will result in wins
Mike Vrabel's offseason was a masterpiece, and his coaching after a three-game rocky start has been brilliant, as almost unbelievably winning the AFC East testifies. Yet, no one's perfect, and one of his few gaffes has been the non-use of Efton Chism.
Chism has as good a pair of hands as the Patriots possess. He catches everything thrown his way, and his yards after the catch are spectacular. Yet, for some reason (one a par with Vrabel's not using Keion White in his best position, defensive tackle, and then shipping him out for a measly sixth-round pick), Chism has rotted on the bench.
When he finally got his first two targets against the Jets, he caught both, for a total of 40 yards and a touchdown to boot.
Hopefully, Vrabel and McDaniels, who are now faced with significant injuries in the wide receiver room, will finally "get it" and get Drake Maye to send more targets Chism's way. He'll reel them in. And while they're at it, stop using Chism as a boundary receiver; he's an over-the-middle, almost, uncoverable slot receiver. Vrabel has coached an NFL Coach of the Year-level season.
One of his few mistakes has been with Chism. Get it right now, and it will pay big dividends in the playoffs.