"It's an interesting move, given the Patriots chose to keep eight receivers on their initial roster announcement, yet released him one day later. There's not a lot of reason behind that, but it seemed clear from the start that they would make a move with the receiving corps, since rostering eight pass catchers is unheard of. While it's not totally unexpected, it is a risky move for the team based on how Bourne performed with Josh McDaniels in 2021."
"Among the players most excited for McDaniels' return to Foxboro was Bourne, who was probably the most vocal with his happiness. It made sense because he had the best season of his career with the Patriots in 2021, the last year McDaniels called the offense before taking the Raiders' head coaching vacancy. There was optimism that we could see success replicated this fall, which would be a massive plus for Drake Maye's development."
The Patriots reduced their roster to 53 players and positioned themselves to target waiver-wire additions. The team then released veteran wide receiver Kendrick Bourne after he requested his release, suggesting he anticipated a limited role in the 2025 offense or was being shopped for a trade. The move was surprising given the decision to carry eight receivers initially, indicating forthcoming adjustments to the receiving corps. Bourne had previously enjoyed his best season in New England under Josh McDaniels in 2021, and an injury that limited his recent practice and preseason participation likely contributed to the release.
Read at Musket Fire
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]