Kyle Williams was arguably the biggest winner of the New England Patriots’ preseason. The second-year wideout ran exclusively with backup quarterback Tommy DeVito and the second unit, but he looked ready for a promotion. He caught a long touchdown pass in all three games, finishing with a breezy six catches for 166 yards.
A third-round pick by the Patriots in 2025, Williams naturally dropped down the depth chart this summer after the team added a pair of established veterans in A.J. Brown and Romeo Doubs. But head coach Mike Vrabel vowed to give Williams more opportunities this season, as his speed and separation abilities are second to none on the current depth chart.
"I know that he is going to be a large part of what we're going to do, and those opportunities will continue to come," Vrabel said in early August. "His release skills, his speed, his vertical speed, those are all things that we have to continue to take advantage of as we progress. And it's a great room. It's a good, competitive room. And by competing and getting out there every single day, those will by nature increase his opportunities."
Vrabel’s confidence in Williams ultimately factored into the team’s decision to trade Kayshon Boutte to the Houston Texans on Aug. 24. The Patriots could use a breakout from the former Washington State star now more than ever with Brown landing on short-term injured reserve with a high-ankle sprain.
Williams’ opportunities? They were nowhere to be found during Wednesday night’s season-opening loss to the Seattle Seahawks. Even after Brown exited the game early in the third quarter, Williams wasn’t targeted on his 12 offensive snaps (17 percent).
It’s time for the Patriots to find out what they have in Kyle Williams
As he showed during the fourth quarter of Wednesday’s self-inflicted loss to the Seahawks, Patriots quarterback Drake Maye has two pass catchers he clearly trusts in gotta-have-it situations: wideout Mack Hollins and tight end Hunter Henry.
His disastrous Patriots debut notwithstanding, Doubs projects as the team’s main volume receiver with Brown out, given his ability to line up anywhere in the formation.
Williams represents the wild card — one Vrabel, offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, and the Patriots have no choice but to play.
Williams was very clearly the team’s No. 5 receiver throughout camp, working behind Brown, Doubs, Hollins, and DeMario Douglas. He just averaged 27.7 yards per reception in the preseason, though, and he made some things happen during his rookie season as well.
Maye only looked Williams’ way 21 times in 2025, but the speedster caught touchdown passes of 72, 37, and 33 yards.
Kyle Williams’ explosiveness outweighs his limitations entering Week 2
Why wasn’t Williams on the field more against the Seahawks? The Patriots went with a conservative game plan early with a heavy focus on the run. Williams is a big play waiting to happen when he has the ball in his hands, but at 5-foot-11 and 190 pounds, he’s not the team’s preferred blocker on the boundary. That would be Hollins.
Williams still needs to be out there more, though, and Maye could have to give him some opportunities on deep balls to give the defense something to think about. With Brown on IR, the Patriots’ top three of Doubs, Douglas and Hollins, with Henry at tight end, has to be one of the slowest WR/TE combos in football.
Williams can make separating from his defender at the line of scrimmage look easy at times. He’s never going to have a major volume role in the offense, at least not this year, but it’s time for Vrabel to put his money where his mouth is.
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