Bourne Again: Patriots WR Makes Minicamp Debut
FOXBORO — Six members of the New England Patriots were absent from the practice fields on Tuesday for the start of the team’s three-day mandatory minicamp at Gillette Stadium. As head coach Bill Belichick pointed out during his pre-practice meeting with the media, all absences were discussed prior to the start of minicamp, and thus were excused.
One player who was conspicuous by his absence was standout wide receiver Kendrick Bourne.
However, his absence from the field lasted only one day. Bourne’s arrival at minicamp was confirmed after being spotted on the practice field prior to the start of Wednesday’s practice.
Having signed with the Patriots as a free agent in the 2021 offseason, Bourne became one of the team’s most-reliable receivers. In his first season with New England, Bourne caught 55 passes for 800 yards and five touchdowns in 17 games. In the Pats lone playoff matchup with the Buffalo Bills, he logged seven catches for 77 yards and two touchdowns. He also demonstrated an ability to be a threat in the running game, 12 carries for 125 yards. The versatile wideout even tossed one touchdown pass; coming in the form of a 25-yard, first-quarter scoring strike to Agholor against the New York Jets in Week 7.
Heading into his second season with the club, Bourne will use his widespread skill set to enhance his role in New England’s offense. His versatility should allow him to wear multiple hats for the Pats — a fact lost neither on his coaches, nor Bourne himself.
Bourne was among the most active players on the field during OTAs and has been a vocal supporter of the Patriots offensive coaching staff, as well as the progression of quarterback Mac Jones.
As a receiver, Bourne has aligned in the slot, and on the outside. Though his technical prowess allows him to win from either alignment, he has looked most comfortable in the Z-receiver role, while occasionally assisting in the slot. However, Bourne has also been called upon to line up at the ‘X’ at times, with a respectable level of success. Lastly, he has been known to carry the ball out of the backfield on occasion; both on the jet sweep and on designed runs.
It is expected that Bourne will continue to factor notably into the Patriots offensive plans in 2022.
