FOXBORO, Mass. — Kendrick Bourne was expected to have a larger role in the Patriots’ offense Sunday with top receiver Jakobi Meyers sidelined.
Instead, his playing time actually decreased in New England’s 37-26 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, continuing a trend of puzzling usage for one of New England’s top 2021 playmakers.
Even with Meyers nursing a knee injury and unavailable, Bourne played just 18 offensive snaps (27%) in the Patriots’ Week 3 defeat at Gillette Stadium, down from 24 (35%) in the previous week’s win at Pittsburgh. Through three games, the energetic receiver ranks a distant ninth among Patriots skill players and fifth among wideouts in snaps played with 44 total.
1. WR DeVante Parker, 173
2. TE Hunter Henry, 124
3. WR Nelson Agholor, 117
4. TE Jonnu Smith, 110
5. WR Jakobi Meyers (two games), 106
6. RB Rhamondre Stevenson, 97
7. WR Lil’Jordan Humphrey, 83
8. RB Damien Harris, 74
9. WR Kendrick Bourne, 44
Of the 11 receivers/tight ends/running backs who have been active for the Patriots this season, only Ty Montgomery and Pierre Strong have seen less game action than Bourne. Montgomery is on injured reserve and hasn’t played since Week 1, and Strong, his rookie replacement on the gameday roster, only has been used on special teams.
But whenever Bourne — a breakout star for the Patriots last season — has been on the field, he’s been productive. He’s seen nine targets from quarterback Mac Jones and caught seven of them, totaling 115 yards. Six of those resulted in first downs. Bourne also has had two receptions wiped out by offensive line penalties: a first down in Week 2 and a 6-yard pickup on second-and-7 in Week 3.
His six receiving first downs tie him for the team lead in that category with Meyers and Parker, both of whom have played more than twice as many offensive snaps. On Sunday, he finished 58 yards on four catches, second-most behind Parker.
Head coach Bill Belichick downplayed Bourne’s lack of playing time when asked about his workload against the Ravens.
“We played all our skill players (Sunday),” Belichick said in a Monday morning video conference. “I think they all played quite a bit, other than Pierre. But both backs, both tight ends, all the receivers played.”
That is true, but Bourne saw far less action than the Patriots’ other three available wideouts. Parker played 64 snaps — and rewarded New England with a five-catch, 156-yard breakout. Humphrey played 54, smashing his previous career high of 37. Agholor played 50 and was unable to replicate his superb performance from last week’s Steelers game, finishing with two catches for 41 yards and his second lost fumble of the season.
The most eye-opening name on that list is Humphrey, who has a total of 17 catches in his NFL career and just one with the Patriots this season. The ex-New Orleans Saint has played more than Bourne in all three games despite beginning the season on New England’s practice squad. But comparing the two is difficult because, in Belichick’s eyes, they essentially play two different positions.
Belichick has referred to the 6-foot-4, 225-pound Humphrey as a receiver/tight end hybrid who allows the Patriots to simulate two-tight end sets without deploying Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith together, which they’ve done on only a handful of snaps since the season opener.
“He’s kind of a cross between 12 personnel (1RB, 2TE) and 11 personnel (three wide receivers),” the Patriots coach said Monday on WEEI’s “The Greg Hill Show,” “so he kind of gives us a little bit of both when he’s on the field.”
Humphrey excels as a run blocker, grading out as Pro Football Focus’s top Patriots performer in that area so far this season. New England has averaged 0.37 yards more per carry when he’s on the field than when he’s not, per NFL GSIS. Henry and Smith, meanwhile, are PFF’s lowest- and second-lowest-graded Patriots run blockers through three weeks, so Belichick clearly sees value in giving Humphrey a significant role. So far, he’s helped power strong rushing efforts against the Steelers and Ravens.
“The coaches got the plan,” Bourne told NBC Sports Boston’s Phil Perry after Sunday’s game. “I think it works. I can’t say this or that. I’m definitely happy with what I got to do. I would love to play more, but I gotta just keep proving it to the coaches. Game by game. Every time I go in, just making the plays that come so I can try to go out there more.”
Bourne has said all the right things publicly since his disappointing training camp caused him to tumble down the depth chart. He hasn’t complained about his drastically diminished standing in the Patriots’ offense, choosing to deflect attention away from himself and toward the team.
“I’m a team player, man,” he said after the Pittsburgh game. “I’m not trying to get the limelight or have you (reporters) all in my face. It’s just how it works sometimes. It’s all about growing with the team and finding your role. It’s a new system, so it’s just growing as we go through the weeks.”
Bourne’s role, though, hasn’t been commensurate with his performance. He’s proven, both this season and last, that he can be a valuable weapon in New England’s offense. The Patriots need more of those, especially since they’ll likely be without their starting quarterback for the foreseeable future.
