The decision by the new regime in New England not to pull off a big-time signing or trade for a clear WR1 early in the offseason meant they would certainly prioritize the position in the draft. They did just that by selecting Kyle Williams in the third round, and the speedster was immediately considered a solid addition to the Patriots’ improving offense.

Unfortunately, he looked far from that during the summer, which seemingly led to a limited role in Josh McDaniels’ offense to start the season. That has continued for much of the year so far, besides an impressive 72-yard touchdown against the Bucs in Week 10, prompting questions about his fit moving forward.

His spot as a wide receiver isn’t looking too good, at least, not at this point, but he might have managed to win a spot as a returner after another solid showing against the Bengals this past Sunday.

Kyle Williams might have finally found a role on the Patriots this season, just not on offense

Despite showing off his incredible speed with his first touchdown of the season a few weeks ago, we didn’t see much of an increase in Williams’ usage in Week 12. There hasn’t been much said about McDaniels’ apparent hesitance to include him, aside from the unexpected production from the receiving corps, and that might be all it is.

But he might have stolen the kick returner job for the rest of the year, especially if he continues what he achieved this past week.

Kyle Williams’ 36-yard kick return in the fourth quarter Sunday was the Patriots longest kick return since Antonio Gibson’s TD in Week 2.

Mike Vrabel often talked about that play being a weapon for them earlier this year, and Williams’ speed could help them get back to that…

— Brian Hines (@iambrianhines) November 24, 2025

It’s not exactly what Patriots fans were hoping for when he was taken in the draft earlier this year, but it might be where Williams is headed for now.

For what it’s worth, we have seen flashes of what he could be as a full-blown receiver for Drake Maye, and that’s a positive sign. It provides much more optimism than previous high-round receivers the team has taken, and that’s exactly what the offense needs going into next offseason.

The hope is always that we’ll see improvement from Williams down the stretch, but even more so once the season is over, and he can become a more integral part of the game plan moving forward. He appears to have all the skills they need, particularly speed, and they’ll need that to maintain the level of competitiveness they’ve achieved this year.