Pats Pulpit
After spending the first five weeks of the season as a healthy scratch, New England Patriots rookie wide receiver Efton Chism is about to make his NFL debut on Sunday against the New Orleans Saints. For the first time this season, the undrafted rookie was not announced as a game day inactive by the team.
With the Patriots forced to overhaul their kick return operation in light of the ACL tear Antonio Gibson suffered last Sunday in Buffalo, Chism is a candidate to serve as a replacement. During his five-year college career at Eastern Washington, he ran back 31 kickoffs for 651 yards at 21.0 yards per return.
Chism, 23, arrived in New England as a rookie free agent after this year’s draft. Despite his lack of draft pedigree, he looked like a natural fit for coordinator Josh McDaniel’s offense and finished preseason as the team’s leading receiver: he hauled in 12 catches for 121 yards and a pair of scores in two exhibition contests. As a result, he found himself on the Patriots’ 53-man roster through the cutdown deadline in late August.
The Patriots’ inactives, meanwhile, look as follows:
Not counting the aforementioned Antonio Gibson, who has since been sent to injured reserve, the Patriots ruled out three players on their final injury report of the week on Friday. Edge defenders Keion White (elbow) and Anfernee Jennings (ankle) as well as safety Jaylinn Hawkins (hamstring) were unable to make the trip to New Orleans.
Joining them on the inactives list are three healthy scratches, who have yet to see the field this season. This also means that the team’s questionables have all been cleared: linebacker Marte Mapu (neck, hamstring), cornerback Christian Gonzalez (hamstring) and cornerback Charles Woods (knee) have all gotten the green light. The same is true for defensive tackle Milton Williams, who was a late addition to the injury report on Sunday because of an illnesss.
The biggest name on the Saints’ side is not listed among the inactives. Running back Alvin Kamara, who was questionable for the game with an ankle ailment, has been cleared for Sunday.
Kickoff between the Patriots and Saints at New Orleans’ Caesars Superdome is set for 1 p.m. ET.
