Patriots’ Kyle Williams Faces Crowded Path to Expanded Role in 2026
New England Patriots wide receiver Kyle Williams showed flashes of big-play ability in his first NFL season, but carving out a consistent role in 2026 will not come easy with the receiver room filling up around him.
Williams, 23, finished the 2025 regular season with 10 catches for 209 yards and three touchdowns across 17 games on 21 targets, averaging 20.9 yards per reception. All three of his touchdowns came on plays of 30 or more yards, making him the first Patriots receiver to accomplish that since Chris Hogan in 2016. Despite those moments, he played roughly 30 percent of the team’s offensive snaps and never established himself as a reliable weekly option for quarterback Drake Maye.
The Patriots selected Williams in the third round, 69th overall, of the 2025 NFL Draft out of Washington State, where he posted 70 catches for 1,198 yards and 14 touchdowns in his final college season. At 5-foot-11 and 190 pounds, with a 4.40-second 40-yard dash, he profiles as a deep-threat specialist. The challenge is that his role remains precisely that, explosive but limited.
The offseason has only added competition. The Patriots released veteran Stefon Diggs in March, but quickly moved to fill the void. New England signed Romeo Doubs to a four-year deal worth up to $80 million, bringing in the former Green Bay Packers standout to anchor the receiving corps alongside Mack Hollins, Kayshon Boutte, and DeMario Douglas. Head coach Mike Vrabel acknowledged the transition openly at the NFL Combine, saying of Williams: “The transition in that position from Year 1 to Year 2 can be pretty special.”
The Patriots are also widely reported to be pursuing a trade for Philadelphia Eagles receiver A.J. Brown. Multiple reports, including one from ESPN’s Adam Schefter, have described a deal as “likely” to occur on or after June 1. No agreement has been finalized, and a Patriots source told ESPN there is “nothing binding” in place. If the trade does come to fruition, it would further compress an already crowded depth chart.
For Williams, the math is straightforward. With Doubs projected as the new primary target, Boutte and Hollins occupying established roles, and a possible Brown addition on the horizon, the path to expanded playing time runs through health atop the depth chart, not through a guaranteed spot of his own.
His upside as a downfield weapon remains real. But in New England’s evolving receiver room, being a threat on the outside is no longer enough to guarantee the ball.