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Kendrick Bourne
Are the New England Patriots ready for some eye-popping trades before the regular season begins? If so, it looks like WR Kendrick Bourne’s name could come up as an option.
NBC Sports’ Phil A. Perry “Teams in need of receivers” have already “called the Patriots about the possibility of signing a deal,” it said.
Bourne hasn’t had a great preseason or training camp with the Patriots. He was ejected from practice for a brawl and was taken off the field for an unspecified offense during joint practice – all on the same day.
He also saw a rep demotion following several issues. It’s a big change from where Bourne was in the group of free-agent contracts last year, when he played above the level expected after signing a deal with New England.
While Nelson Agholor and Johnne Smith were disappointing in their first seasons with the Patriots, Vaughan joined Matthew Judon and Hunter Henry as free-agent signings and played well in 2021.
Bourne set a career-high with 55 receptions, recorded 800 receiving yards, and tied a career-high with five TDs. Vaughn also scored on his reception for the longest play from scrimmage for the Patriots last season, his 75-yard TD off Mack Jones against the Cowboys in Dallas.
In addition to Bourne’s impact on the field, his positive attitude last season proved contagious, and at least at some point, the 27-year-old appeared to function as the centerpiece of New England’s offense. It looked like
If Bill Belichick chose to move Bourne, he would deduct most of the crime in terms of tangible and intangible.
Injuries hurt Patriots’ trading bones chances
Even if the Patriots had been considering moving Vaughn in the past few weeks, the recent surge in injuries at the wide-receiver position could deter that concept.
Christian Wilkerson suffered a concussion During practice last week with the Carolina Panthers, rookie burner Tyquan Thornton suffered a broken collarbone that forced him to miss eight to 10 weeks.
Wilkerson had a good chance of making a 53-man roster, and Thornton was almost a rock. The WR room looks a little thin with both on the shelf, likely going into the regular season.
New England traded Bourne to leave only Devante Parker, Jacobi Myers, Agholor, Tre Nixon, amazing Lil Jordan Humphrey, and Josh Hammond as receivers, with Wilkerson returning for the first quarter of the season. Are you likely to come?
Especially if you have access to Bourne’s compelling draft assets.
NFL’s WR-Needy Team
The Patriots already have one contract with a team in need of a WR. New England traded N’Keal Harry to the Chicago Bears earlier this offseason for a seventh-round pick. Unfortunately, Harry suffered a serious ankle injury that required surgery and landed him on a shelf.
Will the Bears double-dip a Patriots receiver? That seems unlikely, but who knows?
Watch the Dallas Cowboys, Green Bay Packers and Indianapolis Colts. All three teams were able to get help from WR, and Vaughn quickly became a factor in the passing game.
If Vaughn were to move to the Cowboys, he would get the chance to play with the best QBs of his NFL career in Dak Prescott and Aaron Rodgers.
Trades to Dallas and Green Bay will also keep him out of Patriots meetings if that’s a potential deciding factor.
Stay tuned for more Patriots news
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