FOXBOROUGH - We’re four practices into Patriots training camp, and while Kendrick Bourne is getting plenty of reps with the starters, he isn’t catching a lot of passes. In fact, I’d be hard-pressed to recall a moment from the veteran wideout, something he acknowledged following Sunday’s session.
“Of course you want the ball, but it’s about the team,” he said. “We don’t count stats. It’s all about the game. So I just gotta be prepared in the game, and coming into practice like I’m going to get the ball every time, running my route like I’m going to get the ball. In the game, it will come together, so just making sure I’m getting touches - if not in practice - getting touches with the jugs or catching with my teammates before practice or whatever.”
Bourne is coming off a forgettable 2022-23 season, where he found himself in the doghouse quickly and never seemed to get out. Certainly, the offensive coaching staff did not help matters, but the 27-year-old was also at fault, with foolish pre-snap penalties and poor or wrong routes. Over the course of the campaign, you could see an erosion of confidence in a player who exuded it the year prior. This summer, Bourne seems to be in a place where he won’t let that happen again.
“I think it’s about staying ready, personally,” he told us. “There’s a plan the coaches have. You’ve got to follow it. You can’t get into starting and if I’m in 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 3 downs…”
His head coach has noticed a change, praising Bourne for his work this spring and summer.
“Yeah, KB has had a really good off-season. Really good,” Bill Belichick said.
In what way?
“Every way. Physically it was good, mentally it was good, participation was good. He was good on the field, good off the field. Yeah, he had a really good off-season.“
The two men shared a moment on the field pre-practice earlier this week, with Bourne looking like he was trying to dap up Belichick. Usually it is frowned upon to share too much, even a lighter moment, but the wide receiver let us in on the joke.
“He said something funny,” smiled Bourne. “I’ll tell you all what he said: ‘You’re sweating already? We haven’t even started [practice] yet.’”
Considering Belichick had no issue with how former offensive coordinator Matt Patricia handled Bourne last year, this feels like a major thaw in what was a strained relationship last year, and Bourne himself noted how fortunate he feels to be here, with this coach.
“That’s just my guy,” said Bourne. “We have a good relationship. I enjoy being coached by him. It is really awesome for my career and to be able to just say that when I’m done, whenever that time is, it’s an honor to be close to someone like that. I know after football, I’ll be able to talk to him, call him, through whatever it may seem like, I have a good relationship with him.”
Bourne says he’s in the best shape of his career. He will get a chance to prove that last season was a blip on a career radar that looked like it was trending upward in 2021-22, his first with the Patriots. As the team’s twitchiest receiver, he’s a necessary piece to a professional yet uninspired receiver room. With the pads coming on Monday however, it would be nice to see if that connection between him and Mac Jones remains as strong as it once was.
