​When the Houston Texans traded for Kayshon Boutte from the New England Patriots, they knew he’d be an upgrade to the wide receiver room.Still, the former Patriots star, who is best known in Houston for his game-sealing touchdown catch in coverage against Derek Stingley, will have to get caught up to speed and learn of how to adapt to a Nick Caley offense ahead of the regular season.Basically, while fans expect Boutte to be a No. 2 option and an immediate replacement for the injured Jayden Higgins, the Texans aren’t going to rush his playing time just because Week 1 is calling.”We’ll start with our strength and conditioning group. They’ll start him on the side just ramping him up.,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “We like to understand our players’ bodies and understand where they are. We’ll go through some preliminary testing to make sure he’s ready to go when it’s time to get in.”Acquired for a 2028 seventh-round pick and safety Jaylen Reed, Boutte made the trip to Charlotte for Wednesday’s joint practice against the Carolina Panthers. He was limited, only participating in individual drills before working off to the side. DeMeco Ryans on Kayshon Boutte:“Adding Kayshon is a big get for us. He’s continued to make plays time & time again. He’s a young player, still an ascending player with a lot to improve upon, a lot to grow, I’m excited to work with a young player who still has a bright &… pic.twitter.com/LdvjEupp5Z— Houston Stressans (@TexansCommenter) August 26, 2026The Texans have plans for Boutte, who finished with 33 catches for 551 yards and six touchdowns, but what the role actually becomes is a mystery. With New England, he was one of the league’s top vertical threats, averaging nealy 17 yards per catch in the past two seasons. “When you try to go out and find a guy with the caliber of Kayshon, we’ve played against Kayshon multiple times over the past couple of years,” Ryans said. “He’s continued to make plays time and time again. He’s shown up.”He has that big playmaking ability already. It’s been great to have him so far.”While some Texans fans only know of him because of the touchdown reception in last year’s divisional round win over Houston, Ryans said there’s plenty more of his untapped potential. “He’s one of the better contested catch players that I’ve seen,” Ryans said. “If the ball is close, he has a knack for going up and playing physical and coming down with the football. That’s what intrigued me when I continued to watch his tape from last year and previous years. He continued to make those tough catches and that’s what you want. I want everybody on our team to be tough mentally and physically and he has shown that on his tape.”Boutte is not expected to play in the preseason finale against Carolina on Friday night. Time will tell if his rep counts increase once the Bills arrive on Sept. 13 to kick off a new season. This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: Texans HC DeMeco Ryans explains role for n