Patriots' Efton Chism III gets key roster update in WR depth chart battle

Billy Heyen

Patriots' Efton Chism III gets key roster update in WR depth chart battle image

Efton Chism III just keeps making plays.

For the New England Patriots, that means they might have to find a way to get the undrafted rookie wide receiver onto their 53-man roster.

In the Patriots' second preseason game, Chism had six catches for 71 yards and a touchdown in the first half.

"The TD was a 12-yard catch-and-run on third-and-9 in which he evaded and/or broke tackles from six defenders," wrote ESPN's Mike Reiss.

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The Patriots have a lot of receivers, but Chism would be tough to sneak onto the practice squad at this point without being claimed by another team.

"The Patriots project to have Stefon Diggs, Kayshon Boutte and DeMario Douglas as their starting receivers, with Mack Hollins and 2025 third-round pick Kyle Williams also locks as complementary options," Reiss writes. "So Chism has essentially forced the team's hand to keep six receivers and maybe even a seventh."

Chism may be undrafted, but he's proving he belongs.

"Everybody is here for a reason, and he's certainly made the most of his opportunities," head coach Mike Vrabel said, via Reiss. "His play strength really shows up."

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Chism is a 5-foot-10, 193-pound receiver out of Eastern Washington. He broke Cooper Kupp's FCS record by catching a pass in 53 consecutive games.

In his EWU career, Chism had 346 catches for 3,852 yards and 37 TDs, usually operating out of the slot.

Chism signed one of the league's biggest undrafted deals, a three-year contract with $234,000 in guaranteed base salary along with a $25,000 signing bonus, according to ESPN.

It's looking like that might be money very well spent by the Patriots, if they can find a way to fit Chism onto the roster.

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Billy Heyen

Billy Heyen is a freelance writer with The Sporting News. He is a 2019 graduate of Syracuse University who has written about many sports and fantasy sports for The Sporting News. Sports reporting work has also appeared in a number of newspapers, including the Sandusky Register and Rochester Democrat & Chronicle