New England Patriots - NESN.com
The New England Patriots deploy a top-ten offense in both passing yards per game and total points per game. Despite putting up 26.3 points on average every Sunday, fans are still left wondering where rookie third-rounder Kyle Williams has been this season.
The Washington State alum recorded one catch for 12 yards in the season opener. He hauled in a pass in Week 3 as well, but hasn’t recorded a single reception since then.
He has finished many games without a single target, but this isn’t for lack of playing time.
Just last week, Williams played 46% of the offensive snaps, seeing action on 31 plays. That was nearly twice as many plays as the team’s leading receiver, DeMario Douglas.
It was the highest snap count the rookie has seen this season, and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels was asked about it at Thursday afternoon’s press conference.
“I think Kyle is doing a lot of really good things,” McDaniels said. “Some of the guys that have been in front of him have done a really nice job, so I think that’s part of the role of a young player who is trying to progress – you wait your turn, you get your opportunities and then hopefully you make some plays and continue to earn more.”
With Stefon Diggs returning to peak form and Kayshon Boutte already having a career year, it’s hard to argue for a shakeup in the receiving room.
“He practices hard every day, he’s out there every day, which is an important part for a young player to develop,” McDaniels said. “He knows what to do. He’s played multiple spots. He knows how to function in multiple spots. We’ll see if there are more opportunities as we go forward.”
Boutte missed another day of practice on Thursday, so Williams is trending toward another increased workload against a Tampa Bay Buccaneers team that allowed Mac Jones and the San Francisco 49ers to throw for 347 yards just a few weeks ago.
