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FOXBORO — There isn’t much wear and tear on Kendrick Bourne’s wide receiver gloves through the first four practices of Patriots training camp.
Bourne did everything right in his lead-up to training camp, but through four practices, the hard work hasn’t produced results in the way of targets or catches.
Bourne said this spring that he had bulked up in the offseason. That was noted on the Patriots’ roster with 27-year-old wide receiver’s weight increasing from 190 to 205 bounds. He said Sunday this is the best he’s ever felt.
Head coach Bill Belichick raved about Bourne’s offseason to reporters ahead of Sunday afternoon’s practice.
“KB’s had a really good offseason. Really good,” he emphasized.
“Physically, he’s good. Mentally, he’s good. Participation was good. He’s good on the field, good off the field. Really had a good offseason. One of our best.”
But Bourne has been targeted just twice in competitive drills through four practices. He’s gone without a target for two entire practices.
“Of course, you want the ball, but it’s about the team,” Bourne said. “We don’t count stats. It’s all about the game. I just gotta be prepared in the game, coming into practice like I’m going to be getting the ball every time, running my route like I’m gonna get the ball, and in the game, it’ll come together.
“Just want to make sure I’m getting touches. If I’m not getting it in practice, I have to make sure I’m getting touches with the jugs. Just catching with the teammates before practice or whatever. Just so that I know I’m getting catches. It’s all about the game for me, though.”
Even within the organization, there’s not a lot of clarity on why Bourne isn’t getting targeted in practice. The 6-foot-1 pass-catcher looks good, he’s in shape, he’s running crisp routes, the ball’s just not going his way right now, a source said. The Patriots primarily have worked in the red zone through four practices, but Bourne was targeted 10 times in the red area through his first two seasons in New England. It’s not as if he’s been ignored in that area of the field.
The wide receiver is staying upbeat. He’s having fun in new offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien’s offense after calling last year, “a struggle.” He finished his first season in New England with 55 catches for 800 yards with five touchdowns. That was under former offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. Under top offensive coaches Matt Patricia and Joe Judge last year, Bourne caught just 35 passes for 434 yards with one touchdown. Once a focal point of the offense, Bourne was an afterthought in 2022.
A video clip surfaced last week of Bourne and head coach Bill Belichick sharing a laugh in practice. It was notable if only because of Bourne’s relative lack of usage. Based on playing time and targets alone, it seemed as if he had found himself in the doghouse.
Bill Belichick & Kendrick Bourne. @ABC6 #Patriots #ForeverNE pic.twitter.com/YhWjyQUhj1
— Nick Coit (@NCoitABC6) July 27, 2023
“He said something funny,” Bourne said. “He said, ‘You’re sweating already. We haven’t even started yet.’”
“That’s just my guy,” Bourne said about his head coach. “We have a good relationship. I enjoy being coached by him. It’s really awesome for my career and to be able to just say that when I’m done and whenever that time is, it’s an honor to be close to someone like that. And I know after football, I’ll be able to talk to him, call him. Through whatever it might seem like, I have a good relationship with him.”
The Patriots have more starting-caliber pass-catcher than they do actual starting spots in their offense. It’s a decently good problem to have, but it means Bourne is likely competing for snaps with tight end Mike Gesicki, wide receiver Tyquan Thornton and possibly even rookie receiver Demario Douglas behind de facto starters Rhamondre Stevenson, JuJu Smith-Schuster, DeVante Parker and Hunter Henry. So, every rep, target and catch means an opportunity to separate himself from that pack in practice.
Bourne was saying all the right things about that competition Sunday after practice.
“I think it’s just about staying ready personally,” Bourne said. “There’s a plan the coaches have, you just got to follow it. You can’t get into ‘starting and if I’m in right now’ or not. That moment might come where you might be the biggest player of the game. And you can change the game.
“So, personally, that’s what I think about. When is that play going to be important for me to make instead of I’m not in the first three downs. So I might go in fourth down and change the whole trajectory. Not personally, anybody can be that. That’s how you should think for anyone.”
The Patriots could add even more competition to that group of skill players if they sign one of the remaining veteran free-agent running backs to their roster. Running back Ty Montgomery is banged up in practice, and the Patriots have hosted free agents Leonard Fournette, Darrell Henderson and Ezekiel Elliott over the last two weeks.
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