Patriots Rookie Reveals Interesting Fact About New Jersey Numbers

FOXBORO, Mass. — Kayshon Boutte didn’t choose No. 80 as an homage to his position coach, Troy Brown.

In fact, he didn’t choose it at all.

The New England Patriots rookie wide receiver on Sunday said his new, position-appropriate jersey number was assigned to him by the team.

“Oh, they gave us these numbers,” Boutte said after the Patriots’ 13th training camp practice.

Boutte and the rest of New England’s rookie class debuted their new numbers in last Thursday’s preseason opener against the Houston Texans at Gillette Stadium. The LSU product wore No. 58 throughout training camp as part of a Patriots tradition established back in 2018, with rookies receiving their initial numbers based on draft slot rather than position.

It’s likely one or more first-year players will change numbers again once the Patriots finalize their 53-man roster ahead of Week 1. Cornerback Jack Jones and defensive tackle Christian Barmore did that ahead of the 2022 and ’21 seasons, respectively, with players like J.C. Jackson and Trey Flowers also making late switches in previous years.

One player many Patriots fans would like to see adopt a new digit is first-round draft pick Christian Gonzalez. Gonzalez is wearing No. 19 during the preseason — an unorthodox number for a cornerback — but the No. 0 he sported last season at Oregon remains unclaimed.

Here is the full list of New England’s rookie numbers:

No. 7: CB Isaiah Bolden
No. 9: P Bryce Baringer
No. 13: WR Thyrick Pitts
No. 16: QB/WR Malik Cunningham
No. 19: CB Christian Gonzalez
No. 28: CB Ameer Speed
No. 30: LB/S Marte Mapu
No. 38: K Chad Ryland
No. 61: OL Sidy Sow
No. 67: OL Jake Andrews
No. 68: OL Atonio Mafi
No. 80: WR Kayshon Boutte
No. 81: WR Demario Douglas
No. 83: TE Johnny Lumpkin
No. 94: DT Justus Tavai
No. 99: DE Keion White

As a sixth-round pick, Boutte still needs to earn his way onto the Patriots’ final roster. He delivered a series of impressive practice performances in the second week of camp but was quiet in his first preseason game, catching two passes for 7 yards in 32 offensive snaps.

“(That game was about) dipping our toe in the water, kind of getting used to the game and the speed, everything like that,” Boutte said. “There’s a lot of stuff to clean up, lot of stuff to look at. Different tempo than college, but I’m looking forward to it.”

The Patriots are scheduled to travel to Green Bay on Tuesday for a set of joint practices and a preseason matchup with the Packers.