Patriots' WRs Bourne, Douglas Among Inactives for Preseason Opener

The New England Patriots will be down a few players in their debut game of the season.

Aug 03, 2024; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots wide receiver DeMario Douglas (3) runs after the catch during training camp at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports / Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports

As the New England Patriots are set to kick off the first game of their pre-season campaign on Thursday night against the Carolina Panthers, there are a few players on the roster who won't be in to see the field for the team's initial reps of the year.

While teams aren't required to release their official list of inactive players during preseason games, there are a few players on the roster in attendance for the contest, yet not showing in uniform-- effectively giving us a good idea of who to not expect to see take the field.

Here's the full list of Patriots that aren't in uniform for their matchup against the Panthers:

WR Kendrick Bourne (PUP)

WR DeMario Douglas

G Cole Strange (PUP)

DE Christian Barmore

LB Sione Takitaki (PUP)

CB Marcus Jones

S Joshuah Bledsoe

S Marte Mapu

A few of these players are expected to miss some extended time into the season, most notably those on the PUP list like Cole Strange and Kendrick Bourne, but the rest are looking to be short-term absences. Players like DeMario Douglas have already begun to practice once again during New England training camp, but are being held out of the first contest of the year just to be safe.

Another player whose status looms in the air is Matthew Judon. While he wasn't mentioned as a player not in uniform ahead of game time, his contract situation could lead to some limited reps on the field, more so than the other starters in line to play. Keep an eye on if and how much the edge rusher plays on Thursday night.

Kickoff between the Patriots and the Panthers will take place at 7 PM ET on NFL Network.

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