Bill Belichick Gives Blunt Explanation For Kayshon Boutte Not Playing

FOXBORO, Mass. -- Kayshon Boutte was so good in the second half of training camp that he earned a once-improbable spot on the Patriots roster. And the rookie receiver saw 55 snaps in New England's season opener, though injuries had something to do with it.

Regardless, the arrow appeared to be pointing upward for the sixth-round pick. But Boutte hasn't been heard from since.

He was a healthy scratch for the last six games and it would be a surprise if he plays in Sunday's road game against the Miami Dolphins. In fact, Jalen Reagor might've passed him on the receiver depth chart.

During his Friday morning news conference, Bill Belichick was asked for insight into what Boutte can do to be active on gamedays. His answer tells you all you need to know.

"It's a very competitive situation," the Patriots head coach said. "I feel like we have a lot of competition at that position. Everybody's in it. The guys who perform the best play the most, the guys who don't need to perform better."

Belichick added: "They're all competing. We have a number of players that I think are all -- again, it's very competitive. We'll see how that goes."

Barring something unforeseen, New England will enter Sunday with seven healthy receivers: Boutte, Reagor, Demario Douglas, Kendrick Bourne, DeVante Parker, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Tyquan Thornton. The Patriots typically make just five receivers active for a game.

Boutte feels like an obvious choice for one of the two inactives. But the second, unless it's Reagor, could be a very interesting decision.