Sign up for the Today newsletter
Get everything you need to know to start your day, delivered right to your inbox every morning.
Breakout rookie Efton Chism shares how he made Patriots’ roster
"I was like, 'Oof, here we go.' But it was pretty sweet."
FOXBOROUGH — Efton Chism wasn’t going to pace around in his hotel room on Tuesday afternoon.
With New England needing to cut its training-camp roster down to 53 by 4 p.m. that day, most players find ways to and distract themselves in the hours leading up to finding out about their fate after weeks of hard work on the practice field.
For Chism, the best way to stay proactive was to spend Tuesday morning at Gillette Stadium — especially as he continued his rehab back from a nagging injury.
Eventually, he received a call from Patriots executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf.
Advertisement:
Once viewed as a longshot to make New England’s roster as an undrafted free agent out of Eastern Washington, the shifty wideout earned his spot in the NFL ranks.
“Eliot brought me into his office, and told me there,” Chism said Wednesday. “It was pretty surreal, pretty sweet. Gave him a couple hugs. Special moment … It was probably like 12, 1 [o’ clock]. Not too bad. I was here, working out, doing some stuff and he told me to come in. I was like, ‘Oof, here we go.’ But it was pretty sweet.”
Chism entered training camp with plenty of expectations, even as an undrafted player out of college.
Advertisement:
The 23-year-old wideout was an offensive cheat code for the Eagles — breaking several school records previously held by Cooper Kupp, including the most receptions in a single season (120).
During the 2024 season, Chism posted 120 receptions, 1,311 yards, and 13 touchdowns.
Given New England’s need to give Drake Maye another short-yardage target — and Josh McDaniels’ track record of utilizing shifty wideouts out of the slot in Foxborough — Chism was viewed as a potential high-upside addition to the Patriots’ camp roster.
He didn’t make a compelling case for reps after a quiet start to camp, but removed himself from the roster bubble in August with a dominant showing during preseason action.
During his two preseason matchups against the Vikings and Commanders, Chism reeled in 12 catches off 14 targets for 121 yards and two touchdowns — drawing praise from Mike Vrabel for the play strength he put on display despite his 5-foot-10 frame.
“It’s pretty awesome, pretty special. I put a lot of hard work into it.” … You kind of hope for it, but was definitely just thinking about ‘how can I get better today?’ Then yesterday happened, and I was like, ‘Alright, we’ll see what happens.’ Kind of go with the flow a little bit,” Chism said of making the team.
Advertisement:
“I think my ability to do different roles and different stuff will allow me to stay here longer, and allow me to elevate my role into different situations where I want to be on the field,” the wideout added.
DeMario Douglas is expected to earn the lion’s share of snaps as New England’s starter slot receiver — especially on a pass-catching corps that also boasts other players like Stefon Diggs, Kayshon Boutte, Mack Hollins, and Kyle Williams.
Still, Chism has plenty of room to grow as another useful cog in New England’s overhauled offense this fall.
Despite exceeding expectations by earning a spot on an NFL roster, Chism isn’t satisfied with just making it through cutdown day unscathed.
“Same attitude,” Chism said. “How can I help the team out? How can we win games? What do I have to do to continue to get better? I feel like if I continue with the attitude that got me here, it’s going to allow me to grow and become a better player.”
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com