New England Patriots

Kendrick Bourne is ready to turn the page after disappointing 2022 season: ‘I just wasn’t in a good place’

"We as players have to be our best so we can give the team the opportunity to win and I feel like I didn't do that."

Kendrick Bourne was limited to 35 catches and just one touchdown during the 2022 season. (John Tlumacki/Globe Staff)

By Conor Ryan

June 11, 2023

2 minutes to read

Kendrick Bourne is looking forward to a clean slate in 2023 … and for good reason.

On a dysfunctional Patriots offense in 2022, Bourne found himself on the outside looking in.

After reeling in 55 catches for 800 yards and five touchdowns in 2021, Bourne was limited to just 35 receptions for 434 yards in his second season with New England. His lone touchdown came in Week 16 against the Bengals.

All season long, Bourne seemed to be stuck in Matt Patricia’s doghouse, with his candid comments on the state of New England’s play calling likely hurting his cause.

Following Friday’s OTA session at Gillette Stadium, Bourne fielded questions about Bill O’Brien — Patricia’s successor as offensive play caller — and his efforts toward righting the Patriots’ ship.

But rather than drag Patricia following his lackluster season in Foxboro, Bourne held himself accountable for his dip in production.

“I didn’t give the team my best effort,” Bourne said of his play in 2022, per Patriots.com’s Mike Dussault. “Personally we as players have to be our best so we can give the team the opportunity to win and I feel like I didn’t do that. So I’ve been grinding, trying to get bigger, weighing more, just being a more solid receiver and being able to do more.

“I don’t really go off stats, I go off how I feel, how I look and I just wasn’t in a good place, now I just want to avoid that. So it was a good learning process, it was good that it happened to me, and it’s always good to learn from hard times, struggling times.”

The 27-year-old Bourne was one of Mac Jones’ most dependable receiving options in 2021, with the former 49er serving as a versatile weapon both on the outside and in the slot.

Jones should have plenty of options to turn to in 2023, with newcomers like JuJu Smith-Schuster and Mike Gesicki contributing, along with a potential second-year surge from Tyquan Thornton.

But if O’Brien can put Bourne back in a featured role, the wideout has the skillset to dice up opposing defenses.

So far, Bourne likes what he has seen from O’Brien and his revamped offensive scheme.

“Just Bill’s familiar with what he’s doing, so it feels good,” Bourne said. “You can tell he knows what he’s doing in all areas of the offense, from receiver, running back, lineman… He knows offense a lot so it feels good.

“He knows how to engage with all of us, I feel like. He knows our traits now and he knows where to put us so it’s been good. We’re still learning each other as a group but he’s doing well.”

Despite last season’s lackluster returns, the Patriots should have the personnel in place to orchestrate a bounceback year on offense, especially if Jones thrives in O’Brien’s system.

“It feels good. It feels fast. Just exciting, man,” Bourne said of O’Brien’s offense. “Everybody’s on the same page,” Bourne said. “You can feel the growth already, so that’s the most exciting part. I feel like we’re gonna know exactly what we’re doing and who we are — figuring out who we are quickly.”