After spending the first five weeks of the season as a healthy scratch, New England Patriots rookie wide receiver Efton Chism is about to make his NFL debut on Sunday against the New Orleans Saints. For the first time this season, the undrafted rookie was not announced as a game day inactive by the team.

With the Patriots forced to overhaul their kick return operation in light of the ACL tear Antonio Gibson suffered last Sunday in Buffalo, Chism is a candidate to serve as a replacement. During his five-year college career at Eastern Washington, he ran back 31 kickoffs for 651 yards at 21.0 yards per return.

Chism, 23, arrived in New England as a rookie free agent after this year’s draft. Despite his lack of draft pedigree, he looked like a natural fit for coordinator Josh McDaniel’s offe

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