Patriots receiver Kyle Williams promises to be ‘night and day’ different in his second NFL season
FOXBOROUGH — Kyle Williams knows there’s been some changes in the Patriots’ wide receiver room this offseason, and there could be more to come. How much attention has he paid to the comings and goings over the last few months?
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“I focus on where I am,” he said Wednesday after taking part in Patriots Community Day activities at the New Balance Athletic Center. “Where my feet are.”
Heading into his second season, Williams figures to be one of last year’s holdovers. After a slow start, the 23-year-old finished his first year in the NFL with 10 catches for 209 yards and three touchdowns, eventually becoming a complementary piece of the passing game. He saw a spike in playing time, finishing fourth among Patriots receivers in snaps played during the regular season.
As someone with a full season in the offense, Williams sounded optimistic when asked what 2026 might hold.
“I would say that me now from my rookie year is going to be night and day, for sure,” said Williams, who also worked as a part-time kick returner over the second half of the season. “I learned a lot just being able to sit back. I had great vets in the room, I had a great coaching staff. Just a great team overall that just helped me get through my rookie year.”
One of the vets that helped him through last season was Stefon Diggs, who was not retained heading into 2026. Williams said he was able to take a lot of “wise words and wise lessons” from Diggs.
“Everything, from when I first met him to his last day here,” Williams said. “I know I can take a lot from it, just going on from here to the end of my career. Very wise words and wise lessons [that] he taught me.”
While it’s not a one-for-one swap, some of the younger offensive skill-position players have similarly raved about veteran free agent acquisition Romeo Doubs and his impact. Williams, who has West Coast roots, has already built a rapport with Doubs, who signed after four seasons in Green Bay.
“Romeo is my guy,” said Williams. “He’s quiet. He’s chill. A hard worker. A dude from LA, you know? We always chop it up. We’ve got similar stories, similar backgrounds. Just a great dude to have in the room, and I’m actually excited to play with him.”
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Doubs might not be the only new receiver, as the Patriots are reportedly mulling a potential trade for veteran A.J. Brown after June 1. Like everyone else, Williams is aware of the situation.
“If it happens, it happens,” he said. “If it doesn’t, we’ve still got to keep going.”
Williams said he’s studied Brown over the years and calls him “a great player.”
“Oh, yeah,” he said when asked if Brown was someone he looked up to. “For sure. I mean, he’s somebody that I studied a little bit. I’m not as big as him, but I try to play big, if I can. But I mean, [he’s] just a great player, you know? Great habits. A consistent guy. [He’s] a player that you would want to look up to and watch.”
Regardless of the personnel shuffling going on around him, Williams remains focused on his goals. The receiver added some weight over the offseason — he estimated Wednesday he was up to 193 pounds after playing at around 185 last year.
“Play strength was definitely something that I wanted to emphasize, and I knew that I need to get my lower half strong and bulk up a little bit,” he said, saying he was leaning on protein and fruit snacks and “a little bit of candy” to get the job done.
“Coming across the middle, getting off press [coverage] and all that type of stuff. So that was one of my biggest emphasis was mobility and just putting on a little weight.”
As for his goals for 2026, Williams is keeping it simple.
“Just consistency throughout my whole game,” he said. “Building chemistry with Drake [Maye] and being able to learn the playbook. Just whatever they need for me. Just being able to execute at a high level.”
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