Before the 2026 season, plenty of rumors suggested the Patriots would make a major move in their jam-packed receiving corps, with Kayshon Boutte as the league's top trade target.
Although having too many playmakers on offense is a good problem to have, it didn't seem to be something Mike Vrabel and Co. were thrilled about, leading them to make a deal with the Texans to send Boutte to Houston for the upcoming season.
Now that A.J. Brown will miss at least four games with a high ankle sprain, the decision to move Boutte looks even worse, and he surely isn't feeling great either, as his debut against the Bills didn't go as well as expected.
CJ Stroud has had an ever-changing receiving corps since he became the Texans' starting quarterback, and the room has been hit with devastating injuries over the past two years. That presumably put Boutte in a good position to take on a big role right away, only to make one catch on two targets for 21 yards in Week 1.
It wasn't the explosive debut many Patriots fans were anticipating, which only deepens the blow that the team's offense won't have him to rely on in Brown's absence.
Kayshon Boutte's time with the Texans isn't off to the hot start Patriots fans expected
In what became a high-scoring and hard-fought battle between the Texans and the Bills on Sunday, Boutte was an afterthought for Stroud, who primarily focused on Nico Collins as his top receiver, who was targeted 10 times on the day, followed by tight end Dalton Schultz, who caught half his targets with four receptions.
After Collins, other receivers got more targets than Boutte, making it clear that the connection with the quarterback just isn't there yet. In fact, Stroud didn't target him until the third quarter, so he has plenty of work to do to get back to the level he played at in New England.
That's the kind of production he will need to establish himself as a legitimate weapon for an AFC contender, while also increasing his value to potential new teams that could pursue him during the 2027 offseason.
At the same time, watching Boutte become a superstar with the Texans would frustrate the Patriots, who could really use him with Brown sidelined for possibly six games. He was the kind of playmaker who made a big difference throughout the 2025 season, especially with his impressive catches that went viral several times.
But it would be wrong to root against a player who was nothing but a good teammate and showed a lot of growth and maturity during his tenure. So, no negativity is allowed when talking about Boutte's time in Houston.
So, for his sake, hopefully Stroud will get to a point where he can rely on the kind of plays he can make for the Texans moving forward. If he saw anything Boutte did during the 2025 season, he knows he battles for the football on every target and can score when needed, so there's no reason to delay that connection for too long.
Although that would be tough for Patriots fans to see, especially if their receiving corps struggles in Brown's absence, it's hard not to be happy for a player iike Boutte.
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