New England Patriots wide receiver Kendrick Bourne met with the media on Friday, showing off some added muscle in what he hopes to be a bounce-back 2023 season.
Bourne did not receive a ton of playing time last season. He tallied 35 catches for 434 yards and a touchdown. He played sporadically, and that was evident from the get-go. He had just one catch for 41 yards against the Miami Dolphins in the opener.
His best game in terms of production came against the Cincinnati Bengals on Christmas Eve, when he caught six passes for 100 yards and a touchdown. But things never got much better than that.
The wide receiver seems ready for change and is optimistic about the upcoming season under newly-hired offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien.
“It just feels good. Change is good. It’s something we needed, I feel like. It’s good. It feels good so far. If that’s what it’s gonna be, it’s better so far,” said Bourne “…New year, new me, new us, new everything, that’s what we’re focused on. That’s always the goal every year, to move forward and be better.”
Kendrick Bourne: Change is good … a “new me” and “new us” … a little extra muscle … and expressing how disappointed he was in himself last year.
(Apologies for the swaying camera work midway through as an audio cord came unplugged, which led to a repositioning) pic.twitter.com/09orSu4tVb
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) June 9, 2023
Getting Bourne back on track offensively would do wonders for the offense. He played a big role in 2021 and seemed to fade in 2022. If nothing else, he is in line for a bounce-back year.