How Todd Downing has helped lead the Patriots’ wide receiver turnaround

For the second week in a row, last Sunday's New England Patriots game ended with Kayshon Boutte staying in bounds after a back shoulder sideline catch to ice the game. The plays are becoming somewhat of a regular thing for Boutte, who is having a breakout season in his third year in the NFL.

The first person from the Patriots to greet Boutte after the catch? Someone who seemingly has played a big role in his improvement - wide receivers coach Todd Downing. Watching a replay of the catch you can see Downing in a red shirt sprint 15 yards to congratulate Boutte with a smack on the helmet.

"This business can create a lot of highs and lows for a coach, and I certainly have had some times that haven't been as fun and easy," Downing explained this week when asked about his sprint, joking it felt more like 50 yards than 15. "And so, you'll have to forgive me if sometimes my joy and appreciation for what I get to do - and to see a guy like Kayshon who's worked so hard and put in so much work, to have a moment like that in his home state - I couldn't help myself."

Those highs and lows have spanned 20 years in the NFL for Downing. He began his coaching career as an offensive quality control coach for the Minnesota Vikings in 2005 (after spending four years in Minnesota as an intern working in multiple fields including Research and Development, football systems, and public relations).

Since then he's held multiple titles. Before coming to New England he held nine different titles, sometimes handling multiple roles at a time. In total, his resume includes stints as an offensive quality control coach, quarterbacks coach, tight ends coach, offensive coordinator, and pass game coordinator, as well as time as a special teams and defensive assistant early in his career.

Four of those years were spent working with current Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel in Tennessee. He was the team's tight ends coach for two years, then became the offensive coordinator for two more seasons before he was fired at the end of the 2023 campaign.

Overall, it's an extensive resume that fits right in with the Patriots' new built offensive coaching staff that includes three former head coach and four former offensive coordinators. However, Downing's hire back in the spring stood out among the Patriots' coaching staff. With the experienced staff overall, just about every coach was in a role he'd either held before, or had been an assistant to.

The lone exception? Downing.

While Downing certainly was involved with wide receivers as a pass game coordinator and later offensive coordinator, he'd never worked full-time hands-on with the position as a wide receivers coach or assistant wide receivers coach. That reality made him one of the more scrutinized coaching hires by the Patriots back in the offseason, especially given the team's recent history struggling with wide receiver development and production.

Despite that, the play of the Patriots' wide receiver group has been among the most promising signs of the season - with Downing leading the way. Talking to his players, you wouldn't be able to tell it's his first time hands-on coaching receivers. Rookies and veterans, returning Patriots and new players all raved about the impact he's had.

"Coach Downing is a great wide receivers coach. I would say probably the best one I've had up to this point," Boutte told reporters this week. "I think he does a tremendous job of keeping us honest with ourselves every day, expecting the best in us, day in, day out, and I think the results are showing."

Boutte has been among the most improved players under Downing. In particular, he's been able to do the things he does well much more consistently. With 18 catches for 301 yards in six games, he's already more than halfway to his total yardage from last year. He's also tied last year's total in touchdowns with three.

^{Kayshon Boutte has shown significant improvement this year playing for Todd Downing.}

While Boutte continues to show an increased level of consistency on the field, he appreciates seeing the same in his coach.

"I would say the biggest thing is just, the work ethic every day," Boutte said stood out the most to him from Downing. "He come in his best, whether he gets three hours of sleep, five hours, he’s always the same guy every day, demanding the same results. I think that's what's great about him."

Boutte isn't alone in his praise of Downing.

"Exciting," Stefon Diggs added this week when asked what it's been like playing for Downing. "Up to this point, probably one of my favorite coaches in my career. Demands excellence from you, demands that you finish, and demands that you’re an example. I really appreciate him, actually."

"He's my type of guy," Diggs added, when asked about Downing's expressive celebrations on the sidelines.

Downing has made an impact on the rookies too.

"One of the best coaches in my career, going along with my college receiver coach," Kyle Williams told 98.5 The Sports Hub. "And just a great human being all around, so I'm glad to have him as my coach."

Six games into the season, the impact of the improvement from the wide receivers is apparent. An offense that has had to lean on its running backs and tight ends to provide targets in the passing game is now running through wide receivers. Over the past three seasons, a non-wide receiver has led the Patriots in catches each year. Last year, tight end Hunter Henry also led the team in yards while the team ranked 32nd overall in yards from wide receivers.

To start this year, things have been different. The Patriots rank middle of the pack in catches (13th), yards (879), and yards per catch (12.4) by wide receivers. Their seven collective touchdowns is already three shy of matching last year's total.

Some of that is simply due to better quarterback play. But Drake Maye's development comes in the context of a new offensive system run by offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels - an offense that has been known to be complex for wide receivers to learn. That's where Downing, a former offensive coordinator himself, has been a huge help, according to Williams.

"What he's able to teach us and break down the game with us from beyond a receiver's point, I just think it's a great learning tool," Williams explained. "His biggest purpose is explaining the ‘why.’ Why we do certain things. Why are we in this formation? Why are we looking to do things out of certain packages? So, when you could break down the why to us, it clears all the gray area for receivers, and we could just move freely without having any misunderstandings of what we're doing."

Williams said that ability to break down the offense as a whole has been "tremendous" in helping everybody get on the same page. "Everybody learns different. So for him, he's able to break it down in different ways, so everybody's able to grasp it. So just having that, it just makes the transition a lot smoother."

That right there may be part of the reason why Downing has had immediate success in a role he hadn't previously held. While he'd never coached wide receivers hands on he has had plenty of experience installing an offense, and his ability to help do so with this young wide receiver group sounds like it's been invaluable.

For Williams in particular, he said Downing has been a big help in the transition in his first year as a professional football player.

"Night and day," Williams said, when asked about his growth under Downing. "I mean, just even off the field stuff, just helping me have a continuous routine. He gets on me about making sure I'm in his office early in the morning to go over the installs and everything. So when you have somebody that cares about your career going forward, I mean, those are the type of people you want to surround yourself with."

Williams isn't the only player Downing has made a point of making himself available for. From early mornings to late nights, he came in letting players know that he'd be there for them whenever they need - and they've taken advantage.

"'Hey, I'm going to make resources available to you guys and I'm available to you guys,'" Downing shared as his message to the receivers at the start of the year. "And then I kind of leave it in their court to either take advantage or not, and they have. Efton Chism is in here at 6:00 a.m. every single morning. And I'm sitting there with a cup of coffee waiting on him. If he's not there at 6:00, I'm worried about him. Every one of them. Every guy comes in my office before meetings, stops in, gets a couple nuggets about the game plan. They all work very, very hard."

Now, the goal will be to keep up that level of focus as the dog days of the season hit.

"The key is going to be staying hungry, staying committed to the process when it gets later in the season and guys are feeling sore, they're feeling more tired, and weather changes and all that," Downing said. "Can they stay consistent? Can they stay hungry? I believe they will and I'll be here to serve them."

Even as Downing is set to make his return to Tennessee this week, he's more focused on his group of players than the place he spent four of the most high-profile years of his career.

"I'm a couple years removed from being there," Downing said this week. "So, it's another opportunity for me to walk into a stadium with a group of receivers I'm really proud to be working with."