3 surprise Patriots 2026 preseason roster cuts to watch out for before Week 1

There are changes on the New England Patriots roster that are not usually associated with a Super Bowl team. The Pats certainly gained respect around the NFL last year for their rise from worst to first in the AFC East and their continued run to the AFC Championship.

But as the offseason began and signaled the start of a new run for head coach Mike Vrabel and quarterback Drake Maye, the Patriots were focused on one area of the team. They wanted to give their young quarterback a huge improvement in their wide receiver crew.

They believe that Maye has a chance to be an elite NFL quarterback and they need to give him a receiver that compares with Ja’Marr Chase of the Bengals, Justin Jefferson of the Vikings and Jaxon Smith-Njigba of the Super Bowl champion Seahawks.

The Patriots believe they have done just that by bringing A.J. Brown of the Eagles into the fold and supplementing the move by adding Romeo Doubs from the Green Bay Packers. These are both huge additions that change the team’s overall capabilities.

Those moves also put other members of their receiving crew at risk. Perhaps no receiver is in a more tenuous position than Kayshon Boutte.

Boutte is a hard-working and hustling receiver who was vital to the team’s success last year. However, with one superstar wideout who has been added and another key pass catcher, the Patriots don’t need Boutte as a No. 3 wideout.

When the Patriots finalize their roster for the 2026 season and lock it in prior to the season opener Sept. 9 at Seattle, Boutte may no longer be with the Patriots.

Patriots could trade or cut Boutte and one other receiver

It would be one thing if the Patriots just brought in Brown from the Eagles to serve as the Patriots No. 1 receiver. However, they also brought in Doubs. This will undoubtedly be the 1-2 punch when it comes to Maye throwing to his best pass catchers this year.

If Boutte was going to serve in a prominent role, it would be because Doubs was slow to come around and make an adjustment to Maye and the Patriots’ offensive game plan. That has not been the case and in the days leading up to the team’s second preseason game against the Eagles, he has looked good in developing a rapport with Maye. He appears to be an ideal weapon when the Patriots find themselves in the red zone.

Maye certainly likes throwing to him and sees a receiver who can make adjustments. “The way he moves and kind of cuts off on some routes and can move his body side to side and get by people is really impressive,” Maye said, per Nicole Yang of the Boston Globe. “He’s only going to continue getting better and better as he gets more comfortable in this offense.”

This puts the heat on Boutte and Mack Hollins, another receiver who figured prominently for New England’s offense a year ago. Boutte caught 33 passes for 551 yards and 6 touchdowns a year ago and he was also prominent in the playoffs as Maye targeted him 20 times and had 9 receptions for 168 yards and 1 postseason touchdown.

Hollins caught 46 passes a year ago for 550 yards and 2 touchdowns. The 8-year veteran caught 6 passes for 129 yards and 1 TD in the playoffs.

If the Patriots don’t keep Boutte and Hollins, that means that they will likely hold on to DeMario Douglas and Kyle Williams for the No. 3 receiver positions. Both Douglas and Williams are slot receivers who could be solid third-down alternatives for Maye.

Backup quarterback could be a question mark for the Patriots

The Patriots appear to be quite vulnerable at the backup quarterback position. Maye shot up the QB rankings last year and was in the MVP conversation based on his 31-8 TD-interception ratio and 4,394 passing yards last year. He should continue to grow this season and appears to be a top-5 quarterback in the NFL.

However, there’s a huge gap between Maye and backup QB Tommy DeVito. The former New York Giants signal caller certainly made a name for himself in 2023 and 2024 before joining the Patriots midway through last season.

While he went 3-3 as a starter in his first year with the Giants and had an 8-3 TD-interception ratio while completing 64.0 percent of his passes, “Tommy Cutlets” was not as effective the following year in going 0-2 as a starter and failing to throw a TD pass.

How much confidence can Vrabel feel if he has to turn to DeVito to run the offense? A late trade for an experienced backup or finding a new backup after league cuts are announced could be a possibility.

The Pats have a No. 3 quarterback in rookie Behren Morton, but he is a developmental player and the former Texas Tech QB is not likely to see any action this season.

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