Ahead of Drake Maye‘s rookie season, the Patriots will not have one of their wide receiver regulars available. Despite re-signing Kendrick Bourne in free agency, New England will not have him on the field for a bit.
Bourne went down with an ACL tear in late October, and ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler reports the Pats will shuttle him to the reserve/PUP list. This will sideline Bourne for at least four games, pushing his recovery timetable to nearly a year. This has long loomed as a rebuilding year for the Patriots, who will give the veteran pass catcher more time to complete his rehab.
Early in what became a re-signing/extension spree for new Patriots front office boss Eliot Wolf, the team re-signed Bourne on a three-year, $19.5MM deal. That pact includes $5.5MM guaranteed. Bourne, 29, was on pace for a strong 2023 contract year. After a strange 2022 in which trade rumors engulfed a wide receiver that had seemingly fallen into Bill Belichick‘s doghouse, the former 49ers cog averaged a career-high 50.8 yards per game (37/406) and scored four touchdowns despite failing to make it past Week 8.
The Patriots have already made a big move at wide receiver, releasing JuJu Smith-Schuster (leading him back to the Chiefs). Jerod Mayo‘s team also made aggressive pursuits of Calvin Ridley in free agency and Brandon Aiyuk via trade. Both efforts came up empty, leaving a young receiving corps in place for Maye and/or Jacoby Brissett to open the season.
New England used second- and fourth-round picks on wideouts (Ja’Lynn Polk, Javon Baker) and signed ex-Vikings slot player K.J. Osborn. The team, which must pare its roster to 53 players at 3pm CT today, also rosters intriguing Day 3 draftee Demario Douglas, Jalen Reagor and former second-rounder Tyquan Thornton at the position.