From Belichick's Doghouse to Gambling Scandal to Potential Patriots Starting WR, the Long, Strange Trip of Kayshon Boutte Continues

F. Scott Fitzgerald famously said "There are no second acts in American life." But since that quote appeared posthumously in his final novel, he might have been talking about himself not coming back from the grave.

Regardless, I don't what it was like in Ol' F's time, but in our time, there's practically no limit to how many acts you get so long as you're good at your job. When Robert Downey Jr. was hopped up on goofballs and wandering around on other people's property, he was a national laughingstock. But the man is good in front of the camera. So he got himself sorted out, conquered his demons, became the face of the most successful franchise in cinema history, and won and Oscar. His second act has been better than all but about a dozen other movie stars' first. 

But obviously not everyone gets a do-over. It takes talent and production. Which makes the bizarre career of Kayshon Boutte so fascinating. Somehow he's managed to survive two seasons, one trip into exile by a legendary head coach, serious allegations of betting on his team's games while in college, and just 45 career catches on one of the worst offenses in the NFL over the past couple of years. All despite being an otherwise expendable 6th round draft pick (187 overall). 

At first, I was high on Boutte's potential, since he got a bit of a raw deal from that conniving, disreputable twat Brian Kelly:

Simply put, Boutte is compelling for reasons good and bad. There's a lot to love about his game, and reasons to wonder whether there are legitimate concerns that caused him to fall to 187. Mostly good. Which is where we'll start.

For openers, and it bears repeating, Boutte was on his way to being a mortal lock 1st rounder early in his career. He's 5-foot-11, 197 pounds, with 4.41 speed. That's a rare size/speed blender drink indeed:

In 10 games in 2020, he hauled in 45 receptions on 76 targets for 735 yards, 16.3 YPC, and five touchdowns, almost exclusively lined up out wide. …

That was all before Boutte injured his ankle on a sideline, toe-tap catch:

By the time he returned, Kelly was now the head coach. He miscast Boutte as a slot guy. His production fell off a cliff. And he was left in the WR Remainder Bin for Belichick to scoop up as a bargain. 

Then came his first career game, when he played 55 snaps, was the guy Mac Jones went to on 4th & 11 with the game on the line, but couldn't get the toe-tap in bounds call. After that, he was a healthy scratch for eight weeks, and all but four of the final games. Getting only three more targets after going 0-for-4 in Week 1. 

Which brings us to last season, under Jerod Mayo. When he was second behind Demario Douglas in all categories on the worst WR depth chart in the league. Which was progress? I guess? Until this bomb dropped:

But then, bizarrely, that bomb did not detonate after all:

Are you with me so far? Boutte was accused of a major crime. Presumably involving a paper trail - physical and digital - an astronomical unit long. But the prosecution somehow went 0-for-8,900. Go figure. 

Which brings us to today. To his reboot. (When he was doing the back page of Sports Illustrated in the '90s, I can promise you Rick Reilly would've called this "his re-Boutte." But I believe you deserve better.) There's a lot of Patriots camp left to go. As I've already stated, the bottom of the receiver depth chart is going to be the biggest story of roster cuts. But as it stands right now, Boutte is looking for all the world like a starter on this team. Probably the X-receiver. At the very least, he seems to be in the mix in the Top 4 at his position on a team that rely on 11-personnel as a base package. 

And there are those saying he's been the steadiest receiver on the field all during camp:

Source -  Patriots wide receiver Kayshon Boutte has been stacking big plays at the right time two weeks into training camp.

Boutte made one of the biggest plays in Friday night’s scrimmage, catching a deep ball from backup quarterback Joshua Dobbs for a long touchdown over cornerback Marcellas Dial.  He followed that up on Monday by hauling in a pass from Drake Maye in the corner of the end zone and just barely getting in two feet for a tight-rope touchdown.

Boutte said Tuesday that he placed a a bigger emphasis on reporting for training camp in shape. The works has been paying off as Boutte has regularly been part of the Patriots’ top offensive grouping as the team’s starting “X” receiver.

The tape doesn't lie:

In fact, it's looked remarkably like his tape at LSU, pre-Kelly when he was on the outside where he belongs:

To repeat, nothing has been decided and there's a lot of contenders in that crowded position meeting at the moment. But if Boutte manages to fight off all challengers, start seeing the field enough to take advantage of the obvious trust he's built up with Drake Maye, this will be one of the great redemption arcs of all time. From potential 1st rounder to almost cut to almost convicted of gambling crimes to success in the NFL. I've been burned before by believing in the wideouts Belichick drafted. So here's hoping one of them pays off. As 7th round success Julian Edelman put it during Super Bowl LI, "it'll be a hell of a story."