The Patriots traded Boutte to the Texans for safety Jaylen Reed and a draft pick Monday, Tom Pelissero of Netflix reports.
With the additions of A.J. Brown and Romeo Doubs to New England's receiving corps this offseason, a player like Boutte may have felt the roster crunch with cut-down day less than one week away. Now with Houston, Boutte joins a position group that has lost Jayden Higgins for the season due to a torn ACL and also includes the banged-up Jaylin Noel (hamstring) and Tank Dell (knee). As a result, Boutte has a chance to make an impact early on this season.