Patriots’ Kendrick Bourne expected to play vs. Rams after Week 10 benching
Bourne received zero snaps against the Bears last week because New England reportedly wanted to “prioritize playing time for young players.”
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Expect another shakeup at the Patriots’ wide receiver position this week.
Following his benching against the Bears last week, Kendrick Bourne is set to receive snaps versus the Rams Sunday.
Bourne saw zero snaps despite being active because New England wanted to “prioritize playing time for young players,” according to Andrew Callahan of the Boston Herald. Kayshon Boutte, DeMario Douglas, K.J. Osborn, and Javon Baker saw playing time over Bourne in Week 10.
Head coach Jerod Mayo confirmed that he anticipates the veteran WR will return to the field as the Patriots seek their fourth win of the season.
“Jerod, I know you sometimes told us, like a few weeks ago, when Layden [Robinson] was expected to play after he sat for a little bit. Is Kendrick a guy that’s expected to play this weekend?” a reporter asked Friday.
“Yes,” Mayo replied.
Mayo also explained the reasoning behind Bourne’s benching. The first-year head coach said the team needs to get the player “going.”
“Kendrick has had a good week of practice, and sometimes you need — I don’t want to call it a wake-up call — but to go out there, to be active and not have any snaps, he’s a driven individual,” Mayo said. “Look, he’s a very good player. We’ve just got to get him going.”
Bourne began the season on injured reserve as he recovered from an ACL tear last season, and was activated in Week 5. He had been building up his playing time in recent weeks.
In the two games before the Bears matchup, Bourne had played 78% of the team’s offensive snaps. His benching was surprising to begin the game. The Herald’s report regarding the WR’s inactivity came out mid-contest.
Bourne didn’t seem to be outwardly bothered by the team’s decision to sit him. After Week 10, he posted a positive message on Instagram. Bourne captioned a picture of himself in uniform with the following Bible verse:
“Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others!”
Bourne also spoke to MassLive’s Mark Daniels this week about what happened against the Bears. He continued to sound optimistic and said he needs to perform better on the field.
“They’re trying to get the young guys going. They kind of just told me through the week that I was going to be down,” Bourne said. “I looked at it internally. Not pointing a finger. I can play better. I look at my film. I look at myself. Honestly, I don’t think it has anything to do with my knee. It’s just I have to play better. The Jets game, I think about that — I have to make those plays. I can block better. I can do a lot of things better. Just look within as I evaluate myself.”
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