Kendrick Bourne played only two offensive snaps for the Patriots in Sunday's loss to the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium.
Don't be surprised if there's a noticeable uptick in usage for the receiver in this weekend's matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Tom E. Curran of NBC Sports Boston on Tuesday offered new insight into the bizarre situation surrounding Bourne and New England's coaching staff. Most notably, Curran revealed that Bourne is in the "doghouse" of offensive play-caller Matt Patricia after missing a meeting during the preseason.
But Curran also provided this nugget on Patriots owner Robert Kraft, and how he feels about Bourne's effective benching.
"Are we talking about somebody who's gotten sideways with a particular coach, and Belichick wants to give Matt the latitude to make his own decisions on how he proceeds, or are we talking about a guy who's an active pain in the ass?" Curran said during an appearance on WEEI's "Gresh & Keefe" show. "I don't know, but we're looking at a guy whose production, and the fact that he was in mothballs on Sunday, certainly caught the eyes of the owner, from what I understand. And I'd be surprised if he stays down for much longer."
Bourne might've persuaded the Patriots to play him more by using one of his two snaps to haul in a 41-yard pass from Mac Jones. But if that didn't do the trick, it sounds as if Kraft is ready to go to bat for a player who was one of New England's best in 2021.
We'll find out one way or another when the Patriots visit Acrisure Stadium on Sunday.
