The Patriots' wide receiving corps could look a bit different come Week 1 than it does at spring practices.
JuJu Smith-Schuster is set to headline the group, as the Patriots made a fairly significant multi-year investment in the 2018 Pro Bowl selection over the offseason. Tyquan Thornton should be in the mix, too, seeing as it's far too early to give up on the 22-year-old who was selected with the 50th overall pick last year. But outside of those two, there probably aren't any other roster locks when it comes to New England receivers.
ESPN's Bill Barnwell sees the Patriots trading one of their wideouts at some point over the next few months, and the NFL scribe seems to believe it will be either DeVante Parker or Kendrick Bourne. New England most likely could fetch more in return for Bourne, and Barnwell has an idea of who could be on the other side of that potential trade.
"Given how Bourne fell out of favor with the organization last season, I wonder whether the Patriots would consider moving him for help elsewhere, like possible offensive line depth," Barnwell wrote in a column published Tuesday. "Bourne's making a reasonable $5.5 million in 2023, none of which is guaranteed. Could he end up somewhere like Houston, especially if John Metchie III -- who is expected to return after missing 2022 with leukemia -- doesn't start the season on the active roster?"
The Patriots reportedly received Bourne trade inquiries before the deadline last season, but New England elected to hang onto the 27-year-old even though his role in the offense was significantly diminished. And if Bourne and the Patriots were able to get through that rough patch, the organization probably should see how the seventh-year pro fares under new offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien. It's not like Bourne's trade value can get any lower after he was virtually invisible in 2022.
If Bourne isn't effective under the Patriots' new offensive play-caller, he could be a 2023 deadline target -- especially considering he'll be playing on an expiring contract this season.
