Efton Chism inactive for Patriots in Week 3; Keion White returning for New England defense
The wait for Efton Chism's NFL debut continues. The undrafted receiver is inactive again for the Patriots for Sunday's Week 3 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Gillette Stadium.
Chism is one of four healthy scratches for New England, along with linebacker Elijah Ponder, defensive lineman Eric Gregory, and offensive lineman Caedan Wallace. Tommy DeVito will once again serve as the Patriots' emergency third quarterback on Sunday.
Chism was a standout for the Patriots during the preseason and earned a spot on the team's 53-man roster ahead of the regular season. But he's stuck behind Stefon Diggs, Kayshon Boutte, DeMario Douglas, Mack Hollins, and Kyle Williams on the team's wide receiver depth chart.
The undrafted product from Eastern Washington has been working mostly on the scout team during practice, and New England receivers coach Todd Downing said Chism is "learning his pro routine" when he spoke with reporters during the week.
"He's learning how to prepare his body. He's learning how to recover from heavy loads on practice days and things like that," explained Downing. "He's also learning to be versatile throughout the whole offense, not just playing slot receiver like he spent most of his time in training camp."
Chism is learning the roles of every receiver in the offense so he can plug in for anyone should an injury occur at the position. Downing said he likes where Chism is at, and expressed confidence "his time will come soon."
Keion White active for Patriots in Week 3
The Patriots will have Keion White back along the defensive line in Week 3, as he's active for Sunday's game after missing last week in Miami due to an illness. White had a pair of tackles in Week 1 against the Raiders, when he played 29 snaps (46 percent) for the New England defense.