The New England Patriots passing offense ranks dead last in passing yards through their first four games. The Patriots’ top three receivers to start the season are TE Hunter Henry with 14 receptions for 148 yards, WR Pop Douglas with 12 receptions for 94 yards, and RB Antonio Gibson with seven receptions for 82 yards. Their receiving corps isn’t necessarily the problem since their offensive line hasn’t given Jacoby Brissett enough time to throw, and Brissett has also missed some reads. However, their number-one receiver hasn’t played.
The New England Patriots WR1 started the season on the PUP list
The Patriots placed Kendrick Bourne on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list to start the season and continue rehab from his season-ending ACL tear sustained near the end of last October. Bourne has progressed nicely, and Jerod Mayo told the media before their Thursday night game in Week 3 that “he’s done a good job and he’s close.” For the first time this season, he traveled with the team in yesterday’s road game against his former team, the San Francisco 49ers.
The New England Patriots announce massive injury news
Jerod Mayo told the media, via Mike Reiss of ESPN NFL Nation, that the Patriots plan on opening Kendrick Bourne’s practice window this week. The plan is for Bourne to return to practice on Wednesday, which allows the team to designate him for return from the PUP list. Once he practices, he has 21 days to practice before they can activate him to the active roster. He will miss the rest of the season if he doesn’t practice in that time frame or if they choose not to activate him.
Jerod Mayo says the plan is for WR Kendrick Bourne is to start practicing Wednesday, starting his clock to come off the physically unable to perform list.
Mayo says there are meetings later today to see if LB Sione Takitaki and S Marte Mapu will also start practicing Wednesday.
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) September 30, 2024
Will Kendrick Bourne play in Week 5?
Bourne hasn’t practiced in over 11 months, and it’s too early in the week to tell if he’ll make his season debut against their divisional rivals, the Miami Dolphins, on Sunday. Mike Dussault of Patriots.com predicts that he might not return for a couple of weeks until he eases into practice and gets up to playing speed. He also predicts that his presence will impact the team.
“While he’ll likely be eased into action and could take a couple of weeks before he’s activated to the roster, his impact will be felt from more than just the plays he’s on the field for,” Dussault said. “He might not take the Patriots offense to the next level by himself but his return is a welcome boost of positivity and experience that could provide a spark for the entire unit.”
