Receiver's 'aggressive' comments might get him put back in the Patriots doghouse

Among the many positives that could be taken away from Drake Maye's NFL debut against the Texans last week was the resurgence of receiver DeMario Douglas within the offense after becoming nearly invisible through the first five games. It was a root of frustration for Douglas and his teammates, but the connection with Maye was clear from the start and led to the receiver's first career touchdown.

Considering how good Douglas was during his rookie season, even with Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe throwing the football, it wasn't a shocking development. What was surprising, however, was the heavy involvement of Kayshon Boutte, a 2023 sixth-round draft pick who spent most of last year in Bill Belichick's doghouse for various and mostly unknown reasons.

He, too, recorded his first career touchdown in Week 6, which also happened to be Maye's first, and was on the field for the most offensive snaps of the entire receiving corps.

Because he had previously been a healthy scratch this year or spent the entirety of a game on the sideline, it was surprising to see the drastic increase in his usage against the Texans. Fortunately, however, the team was able to reap the reward of Boutte's production, and his rise on the depth chart could continue with Maye in at quarterback.

With that in mind, Boutte spoke to reporters earlier this week about the season so far and how he views what the Patriots are set to do the rest of the way. His comments have raised some eyebrows around New England for different reasons, with some concerned he might have walked himself back into the doghouse because of it.

Kayshon Boutte's candid comments might not sit well with Patriots staff

When speaking about the Patriots approach on offense to reporters on Tuesday, Boutte mentioned the team's seemingly slow start in games, which is accurate to how the season has gone. With that he talked about their need to be more aggressive, and that's where some feel he got himself in trouble.

But is it really that controversial?

Some may find this controversy more concerning because of who is making the comment rather than what is actually being said. As Patriots reporter Tom Curran says in the clip above, Boutte isn't wrong in his assessment, so there shouldn't be any fault thrown his way for what he said.

However, it could be considered too much, too fast, from a guy who was recently heavily involved in the game plan and has spent a lot of time trying to get out of the doghouse and onto the field.

Yet, at the same time, is it really fair to criticize who it's coming from as long as what is being said is accurate? It's hard to argue what Boutte said is wrong because it's not. Maye's first drive in Week 6 felt like a waste of time, as offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt called two running plays and then a passing play on 3rd-and-9.

It was a quick 3-and-out for the Patriots offense, which didn't bode well for the defense, who struggled to slow down the Texans throughout the game. And that's just the most recent example; looking back on the entire season, every game has started slow and there was a lack of trying to push the ball down the field for one reason or another.

That looks on pace to change with Maye in as the starting quarterback, so maybe Boutte got ahead of himself with his comments. But only time will tell, and we'll see what happens moving forward as soon as Week 7 against the Jaguars on Sunday.

More Patriots news and analysis: