Heading into his second season with the Patriots, there was no scarcity of hype and expectations surrounding Kendrick Bourne.
After a season the place he established himself as one among Mac Jones’ most explosive go catchers, expectations have dampened after a less-than-stellar coaching camp and preseason that featured an ejection from the joint practices with the Panthers, together with a benching.
So what does the longer term have in retailer for Bourne?
Troy Brown, who serves because the Patriots receivers coach, supplied a standing report on the wideout.
“Obviously, he hasn’t had the type of offseason that he had last year, but he’s been working at it just like everybody else,” Brown stated Monday in a video convention. “He’s coming along, and he’s getting more and more reps as the camp goes on here. As we go into the first game here, he’s getting more and more reps. We’re going to play the guys who deserve to play.”
Bourne had posted career-best numbers in 2021 (55 catches, 800 yards, 5 touchdowns). But he fell down the depth chart throughout the summer season behind Jakobi Meyers, DeVante Parker, and Nelson Agholor. Rookie Tyquan Thornton, previous to struggling his collarbone damage, additionally appeared like he was inching forward of Bourne.
Brown instructed his reduce in play time with the highest unit wasn’t the results of one thing Bourne had finished.
“He hasn’t done anything wrong, or bad, or anything like that,” Brown stated.
Bottom line: Bourne is just going to need to work his manner again up the depth chart.
“I think he’s been making some plays here and there,” Brown stated. “But for probably the most half, he’s simply been working as arduous as the opposite guys have been working. We’ve had another guys which have made some performs all through the course of camp right here, and so they’re all on the market competing and combating.
“There’s no named person that’s going to be out there playing more than another person. It’s just going to be whoever earns the right to go out there and play. They’re going to be the guys who play for us on Sundays.”
Source: www.bostonherald.com