If Efton Chism ends up falling short of the New England Patriots’ 53-man roster, it won’t be because of a lack of trying.
An understudy to teammate Mack Hollins, whose own work ethic has been well-documented through the years, Chism has impressed the Patriots preparing for his second season in the NFL. Naturally, the club might be forced to make some difficult decisions when it comes to building the team come late August’s cutdown deadline.
Wide receivers coach Todd Downing can attest to that.
“It’s no secret that we have a pretty deep room,” he told reporters on Sunday.
A super sub in a competitive wide receiver room, Chism is not challenging for a starting spot on offense, but nonetheless pushing hard to make the team. At the moment, he is one of seven wide receivers with realistic hopes of doing so.
But while A.J. Brown, Romeo Doubs and DeMario Douglas can be considered roster locks, something that very well might also be true for fellow sophomore Kyle Williams, the rest of the picture is unclear.
Including Williams, the current second tier at the position features the likes of Kayshon Boutte, who himself has drawn rave reviews from Downing, as well as best buds Chism and Hollins. Depending on how the club views its depth elsewhere on the roster, all seven making the cut simply might not happen.
Consequently, the coaching staff will have to think long and hard about what to do with the group, Chism included.
“I love where Efton’s at,” said Downing. “He put a really hard offseason in at work and it’s paid off.”
That hard work is even drawing comparisons to a former Patriots captain, who during his own time with the club developed a reputation as one of its hardest workers: Jabrill Peppers. For DeMario Douglas, the comparison stems from Chism’s ability to treat practice with the same intensity as game day.
“I love that guy, his work ethic,” said Douglas about the second-year wide receiver.
“For me, when I came in, I saw Pep really work hard. My first year, I watched him. That was the first person I’ve seen really work hard from practice to game and really look the same. It was hard to find somebody like that, who practices just like that. To watch Chizz, he practices just like it’s a game. That’s great competition. I’ve always learned that practice has to be like the game, so the game could be easy. And I feel like my guy is pushing me to be better also.”
An undrafted free agent out of Eastern Washington, the same FBS school that produced Cooper Kupp and Kendrick Bourne, Chism had a strong rookie training camp and preseason. It allowed him to be one of just two UDFAs to make the Patriots’ initial roster last year.
And while his eventual impact on the team was limited — he served as a reserve and ended with four catches for 95 yards and a touchdown — he nonetheless laid a solid foundation. This offseason, the 24-year-old is building on it.
“Much like Pop, he’s more and more comfortable with some of the decision he’s being asked to make,” added Downing. “It helps him play faster. And maybe he’s a little bit more comfortable with some defensive recognition, which leads him to some better decisions. I think he’s gotten stronger, and you can see his sturdiness and his route craft and play strength. That’s been really cool to watch as well.”