Kayshon Boutte didn't join the Texans in time to play in a preseason game, so he doesn't have much time to build an on-field rapport with C.J. Stroud before the regular season begins Sept. 13. (Lane Turner/Boston Globe via Getty Images)
Kayshon Boutte has been a member of the Houston Texans for less than two weeks but the wide receiver said he is already building a relationship with C.J. Stroud. "We get together after practice, kind of start building that timing," Boutee said Wednesday. "Different quarterback for me, a different receiver for him. So as long as we on the same path, that's the goal at the end of the day." Boutte and Stroud don't have months to slowly grow their on-field bond. The Texans acquired Boutte last week in a trade with the New England Patriots for safety Jaylen Reed and a seven-round pick in 2028. ALSO SEE:Jayden Higgins posts message after season-ending injury But Boutte said he is building trust with Stroud every day. He also added that he doesn't think chemistry is a tough thing to build for a receiver. It's all about the amount of effort you put in with your quarterback, he said. Boutte has a similar approach to learning the playbook, half of which he said is "carryover from what we kind of ran in New England." You have to put effort into learning it to learn it. Coach DeMeco Ryans complimented Boutte's work habits since joining the team. "He's been dialed in to his preparation, getting himself ready to go," Ryans said. "He'll be ready to go on gameday." Houston opens the regular season against the Buffalo Bills on Sept. 13 at Reliant Stadium in a matchup of expected AFC playoff teams. Texans Insider with Jonathan M. Alexander Sign up for an in-depth newsletter with Houston Texans news, features and predictions. Houston made the move for Boutte following the season-ending injury to Jayden Higgins, who looked in line to be the No. 2 receiver on the depth chart after Nico Collins. General manager Nick Caserio said Tuesday that acquiring Boutte was about "fit, situation and timing." "I would say the Higgins situation probably spearheaded that a little bit," Caserio said. "Understanding it's unfortunate what happened to Jayden, but there was an opportunity to add a player of Kayshon's caliber and we felt like it was worth a discussion." Wide receiver is not the deepest position group on Houston's roster. With Higgins out for the season and dynamic wideout Tank Dell starting the year on injured reserve, Boutte will likely be tasked with a big role in the Texans' offense. The LSU product had 33 catches last year for 551 yards and six touchdowns. His receiving yards would have ranked third on the Texans last year behind Collins and tight end Dalton Schultz.
But the moment from Boutte most Texans fans would remember from last year came in the playoffs, when he made an outstanding one-handed touchdown catch against star cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. to put the Patriots up two scores. "I saw a guy who's very competitive at the catch point," Ryans said of what he saw when watching Boutte in New England. "Very strong hands. Contested catches, he's coming down with the ball nine times out of 10. So I saw that in his play, and that really stood out to me." This is a big year for Boutte, who is in the final year of his contract and appeared in New England to be on the outside looking in. The Patriots brought during A.J. Brown and Romeo Doubs in the offseason to bolster their receiver corps, leaving Boutte on the outside looking in. Patriots coach Mike Vrabel said last week that Boutte would have been inactive if he hadn't been traded. Boutte said there's no hard feeling regarding Vrabel's statements or how his tenure in New England ended. But now he has a chance to have a greater impact on the football field. "They trust in my ability," Boutte said. "They brought me here for a reason." Subscribe There’s more to Houston with the Chronicle. Subscribe today for just 25¢. This article originally published at New Houston Texans wide receiver Kayshon Boutte already developing rapport with C.J. Stroud.