Bourne figures to be among the players the Patriots could deal
Kendrick Bourne might serve an attractive player for teams looking to buy ahead of the NFL trade deadline.
Bourne is in the final year of his contract, which lessens the price of acquisition. And he’s very affordable in his final year. His contract is widely considered a team-friendly one with a $4.75 million base salary and cap hit of $6.9 million.
Having lost five of their first six games, there’s reason to believe the Patriots could sell off some pieces. The 28-year-old Bourne is among them.
He can play inside or outside the numbers and serves to help a team’s receiver depth, regardless of what his limited playing time in New England might say.
Here are a few potential landing spots for the Patriots wideout before the Oct. 31 deadline. Super Bowl betting odds are courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.
San Francisco 49ers +430
Bourne signed with the Patriots after spending his first four seasons in San Francisco. He posted a career-high 74 targets in his final season with the 49ers, a campaign which ranks second in his career for receiving yards (667). While the Niners have depth at running back behind Christian McCaffrey, they don’t have as much at receiver. Could the injury to Deebo Samuel cause John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan to reunite with Bourne? It might make sense.
Kansas City Chiefs +500
Patrick Mahomes has just two games this season with 300 passing yards, his season-best 306 against the Denver Broncos in Week 6. A major reason behind that is because of Kansas City’s lack of receiving weapons aside from Travis Kelce. Kadarius Toney and Skyy Moore might not be enough for the Chiefs to contend with the 49ers and Philadelphia Eagles. Bourne might even jump to Kansas City’s WR1 — behind Kelce, of course.
Philadelphia Eagles +750
The Eagles on Tuesday added to their wide receiver depth chart with the signing of 34-year-old Julio Jones. During the last three seasons, Jones has played just 29 games with three teams due to injuries. The move hints at how Philadelphia has struggled to see production from its third receiver, behind A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith. Bourne likely would be a better option than anything the Eagles have at that spot, including Jones.
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Buffalo Bills +900
The Bills have put a lot on the shoulders of Stefon Diggs, who leads all receivers with 49 catches for 620 yards and five touchdowns in six games. Three of the Bills leaders in receptions are tight ends and a running back. Gabriel Davis (21 catches, 341 yards) is the only other wideout. Buffalo could greatly benefit from a WR3 like Bourne. And New England would be dumb not to trade Bourne in the division simply because it would be helping a rival during a lost season.
Dallas Cowboys +1100
The Cowboys have a star WR1 in CeeDee Lamb, but their depth behind him has been inconsistent. Brandin Cooks is coming off his best game with the team in a Week 6 win over the Los Angeles Chargers, but Michael Gallup (18 receptions, 204 yards) has underperformed. Bourne’s skillset would allow him to do a little bit of everything for a Dallas offense that ranks in the bottom half of the league in passing yards.
Baltimore Ravens +1500
While Lamar Jackson has played well to start the campaign, Baltimore’s offense still has to some questions to answer. Rookie wideout Zay Flowers leads the team in receptions (35) and yards (367) through six games. Odell Beckham Jr. already has missed two games due to injury, and Rashod Bateman has yet to catch more than three passes in a game. While Bourne wouldn’t give Baltimore a bona fide WR1, he would challenge as the team’s WR2 or WR3. The Ravens are the favorite to win the AFC North.
Honorable mentions: Cleveland Browns, Los Angeles Chargers