Efton Chism

Chism sits at the bottom of one of the league's deepest, fully healthy receiver rooms (Brown, Doubs, Douglas, Hollins, Williams all ahead of him), and his target share trended down to single digits late last season before he was a healthy gameday scratch to open 2026.

As the nominal WR6, Chism's active-roster inclusion on a given Sunday is not guaranteed; without an injury ahead of him or continued special-teams contribution, he risks being a healthy scratch more often than not.

Chism has carved out real special-teams value as a punt/kick returner and personal protector, giving him a roster floor independent of his target competition that most fringe WR6s lack.

New England spent no 2026 draft capital on a receiver, and the trade of depth piece Kayshon Boutte to Houston during the 2026 offseason effectively locked Chism into a top-six wideout spot with no fresh competition on the horizon.

Chism has already logged reps with the starting offense around Drake Maye as an injury replacement, suggesting the staff trusts him to step in quickly if a target-share window opens ahead of him.