While NFL fans are practically in the ‘going crazy’ portion of the offseason, with nearly exactly one month until training camp begins, the Canadian Football League is in Week 5 of 21 of their regular season. A NESN writer has uncovered that a few current New England Patriots have landed on a few CFL teams radar, due to the leagues transparent “Negotiation List”.
“Each CFL team maintains a Negotiation List of up to 45 players who are currently either unsigned or are playing in the NFL, in another professional league, or in college,” reads the CFL’s official website. “Teams hold exclusive CFL negotiating rights with players on their lists, and those players can be added, traded or removed at any time.”
The more intriguing current Patriot that you can find on this list that is open to the public is undrafted rookie receiver Efton Chism.
Chism is going to have his work cut out for him if he wants to crack into a wide receiver room filled with big names and high draft picks. Although New England fans everywhere are starting to buzz about the kid, it is safe to say if he can’t crack the roster in Foxboro he will draw significant interest elsewhere. Including with the British Columbia Lions.
Efton Chism’s Roster Outlook
Efton Chism has two things working for him as far as ‘looking the part’ goes. First and foremost, new Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniel’s playbook famously has room for shifty slot receivers who contribute on special teams. The amount of players who’s play style in New England matched that of Chism’s makes him a fan favorite before training camp has even begun.
“The 23-year-old has already drawn comparisons to famous Patriots slot receivers Julian Edelman, Wes Welker and Danny Amendola, and because he fits a very specific niche, many are pegging him as a favorite to land one of the final slots on New England’s wide receiver depth chart,” wrote SI’s Matthew Schmidt.
The second thing working for Chism, is that we’ve already seen one Eastern Washington receiver have serious success in the NFL. Cooper Kupp’s time at EWU saw him bring in more than 6,000 receiving yards, and the equivalent to the FCS’ Heisman Trophy.
Chism is going to have to work hard come July 19th, when rookies report to camp. But luckily for him, his coach told WEEI he is no stranger to hard work.
“He’s the hardest working kid I’ve ever coached … And I’ve coached for 14 years at my facility,” Washington Elite’s Training Academy CEO Michael Bumpus told WEEI in June. “We have at least 100, 120 athletes come through a year that play football. He just works his butt off, man.”
Rookie Quarterback Ben Wooldrige Also Gains CFL Attention
Ben Wooldridge is an undrafted rookie quarterback who was claimed by New England by way of the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns. Wooldridge comes into a quarterback room with the face of the Patriots, Drake Maye, and a rocket scientist, Joshua Dobbs. He is considered a long shot to make New Englands 53-man, but fret not, as the Calgary Stampeders have already thrown their hat into the Wooldridge ring.
“Wooldridge, 25, is a different story entirely,” writes NESN’s Keagan Stiefel. “The Patriots don’t have much room for a developmental quarterback on the active roster, and while it’s nice having someone with size and athleticism on the practice squad, it might make more sense for him to test his luck getting legitimate playing time in the CFL.”
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