NFL locals: Efton Chism III secures return role with New England

Former Eastern Washington star receiver Efton Chism III is catching on in the NFL.

Chism is the new kickoff return man for the New England Patriots, a role he has held down over the past two weeks for one of the hottest teams in the NFL.

Chism, an All-American as a senior at EWU (2024), made his NFL debut last weekend in the Patriots’ win over New Orleans, returning five kicks for 129 yards with a long return of 28 yards. He got his chance after returner Antonio Gibson went down with an ACL injury earlier this month.

“I thought he did a great job,” Patriots special teams coach Jeremy Springer said last week of Chism’s performance, per New England Sports Network. “He took care of the ball. He made great decisions. He got us past the 30 a couple of times, and I love his progression. We’ll continue to progress with him and do the things and work with him, and hopefully he can help us out. Very excited with where he’s at.”

Chism didn’t see as much action Sunday in the Patriots’ 31-13 rout of Tennessee – the Titans only kicked it to him twice – but he made his touches count, totaling 40 yards with a long return of 24 yards.

Chism, who was signed by New England in May after going unselected in this year’s NFL draft, had a standout preseason, but had to wait in the wings for his regular-season opportunity. He spent the first five weeks of the season inactive.

“It was pretty sweet,” Chism told WBZ-TV’s Dan Roche of his debut. “I found out (I’d be playing) on Friday, and when coach told me, there was a bunch of emotions going through my body.

“It’s like, ‘Here we go. This is about to get real,’ ” he added. “Then they kick it off and the ball is in the air, and you go get hit. I hadn’t been hit like that since the preseason, so it was good to be back out there.”

Before long, Chism might find himself earning a role on offense. Patriots wide receivers coach Todd Downing appreciates the Kirkland, Washington, native’s work ethic.

“Efton Chism is here at 6 a.m. every single morning,” Downing told reporters last week. “I’m sitting there with a cup of coffee waiting on him. If he’s not there at 6, I’m worried about him.”

• Kaden Elliss (Idaho) keeps trending toward star status. The Atlanta linebacker, a team captain, had another solid showing, recording an interception, nine tackles, a QB hit and a pass break-up during the Falcons’ 20-10 loss to San Francisco.

Elliss was in perfect position to pick off a short Mac Jones pass over the middle that was a little off target and got tipped up by intended receiver Jauan Jennings. Elliss returned the pick 16 yards.

It was the second career interception for Elliss, a seventh-year pro.

• Kendrick Bourne (Eastern Washington) had a slow night after posting 142 receiving yards in each of the two weeks prior.

The veteran San Francisco receiver finished with 14 yards on two catches during the 49ers’ 20-10 win over Atlanta.

• Jaylen Watson (WSU), a fourth-year pro, made his 21st career start at cornerback for the Kansas City Chiefs and had a lock-down performance in the team’s 31-0 blowout of Las Vegas.

Watson, who played all but one defensive snap, received the fourth-best grade among Chiefs defenders, according to Pro Football Focus’ metrics. He didn’t allow a catch and broke up one pass, helping Kansas City hold the Raiders’ passing offense to just 70 yards on 12 completions.

• Jaden Hicks (WSU) made his third start of the season at strong safety for the Chiefs and played all but four defensive snaps, finishing third on the team with three tackles. Kansas City’s defense held the Raiders to three first downs and 95 total yards.

• Cam Ward (WSU) threw a 38-yard touchdown pass to Chimere Dike on Tennessee’s second drive, but the rookie quarterback had trouble moving the offense after that as the Titans fell to 1-6 with a loss to New England.

Ward, the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s NFL draft, completed 25 of 34 passes for 255 yards with a TD and an interception on Tennessee’s final drive. He also had an unforced fumble in the third quarter, losing control of the ball while attempting to pass. The ball was scooped up by the Patriots and returned for a touchdown. Ward took five sacks.

On the season, the former Coug (2022-23) has passed for 1,356 yards and four touchdowns with five interceptions – one in each of the past five games. He’s absorbed a league-high 30 sacks.

• Daiyan Henley (WSU), a team captain at linebacker for the Los Angeles Chargers, had another quiet game in what’s been a tough recent stretch for the third-year pro.

He managed two tackles and gave up a 5-yard touchdown catch to Indianapolis tight end Tyler Warren during the second quarter of the Colts’ 38-24 win.

• Frankie Luvu (WSU), a starting outside linebacker for Washington, totaled six tackles (three solo) and made two run stops behind the line of scrimmage during the Commanders’ 44-22 loss to Dallas.

• Jalen Thompson (WSU), a longtime starter at safety for Arizona, totaled four tackles, one tackle for loss and one pass deflection during the Cardinals’ 27-23 loss to Green Bay.

Thompson, who played every defensive snap, was the Cardinals’ highest-graded defender on the day, per PFF’s analytics.

• Chau Smith-Wade (WSU), a rising name on Carolina’s defense, split time between cornerback and safety and finished with three tackles during the Panthers’ 13-6 win over the New York Jets. Smith-Wade made an impressive solo tackle at the line of scrimmage for no gain on a third-down pass during the Jets’ opening possession.

• Christian Elliss (Idaho) made his seventh start of the season at linebacker for New England and finished with three tackles and a QB hit during the Patriots’ win over Tennessee. The former All-Big Sky standout, now a fifth-year pro, also made a special-teams highlight, laying a bit hit on Titans returner Chimere Dike on a third-quarter kickoff.

• Samson Ebukam (EWU), a veteran defensive end for Indianapolis, had one QB hit during the Colts’ win over the Chargers.