The news was positive: After joining the team in May as an undrafted free agent out of Eastern Washington, Chism had earned a spot on the team. He gave Wolf a hug and immediately told his girlfriend, who was in town, before calling his parents, best friend, college coach, and high school coach in Monroe, Wash.

"It's pretty awesome, pretty special," Chism said. "I put a lot of hard work into it. I can't thank my coaches and the guys around me enough for allowing me to take advantage of the opportunity and coach [Mike] Vrabel for giving me the opportunity. I'm truly blessed, truly thankful, and excited to get after it."

For Chism, the roster spot caps a productive summer -- one that started off a little slower than expected but picked up steam in the middle of August. By the end of the second preseason game, when he caught six targets for 71 yards, Chism's presence was impossible to ignore.

"I kind of knew that he was going to make it," wide receiver DeMario Douglas said Wednesday. "I think he knew, too."

Neither Wolf nor the coaching staff tipped Douglas off regarding their plans for Chism. But he could just tell.

During practices, Chism caught nearly every ball that came his way for about a two-week stretch. During games, he fought through contact for additional yardage. Whenever he could, he spent extra time studying the playbook with veteran Mack Hollins and also made flash cards to occupy his time at the team hotel.

"That speaks for itself," Douglas said.

Added Chism, "I definitely was always just thinking about, 'How can I get better today?'"

After a series of roster moves on Tuesday and Wednesday, New England's wide receiver room consists of Chism, Hollins, Douglas, Stefon Diggs, Kayshon Boutte, and Kyle Williams.

Chism hasn't seen the field since New England's second preseason game, but returned to practice on Wednesday. He said the time away was "definitely difficult" but noted he is "absolutely" healthy now. (The Patriots are not required to release an injury report until the week leading up to the season opener.)

"You want to be out there," Chism said. "Especially being an undrafted guy, you're feeling like you're missing an opportunity. That's how I felt. But I'm just trying to do everything I can to get back out there and excited to get back out there and start running around."

While some players on the roster bubble would prefer to disconnect as they await a decision on their future, there was always a strong chance that Chism was going to spend Tuesday at the facility. Quarterback Drake Maye has referred to Chism as the team's "No. 1 treatment guy" because he's always in the treatment room.

"Availability is the best ability, right?" Chism said.

Now that he's in New England for the foreseeable future, there are some logistics Chism has to figure out. He already started looking for a place to live now that he no longer has to stay at the team hotel.

As far as football, though, Chism plans to maintain his same habits and approach. He will continue to ask himself, "How can I help the team out? How can we win games? What do I have to do to continue to get better each and every day?"

"I just feel like if I continue with the attitude I had that got me here, it's going to allow me to grow and become a better player," Chism said.