Patriots WR Kendrick Bourne vs. Bears: Out with Turf Toe?

Bourne has been a limited practice participant since leaving the Patriots’ Week 6 win over the Cleveland Browns in the first half with a toe injury.

FOXBORO — The New England Patriots will apparently be without the services of a key member of their offense when they take the field for their Week 7 contest against the Chicago Bears.

No … not that one.

Though New England expects quarterback Mac Jones to return to his starting duties on Monday night, wide receiver Kendrick will not be available, according to a Sunday afternoon report from NFL Network.

After leaving last Sunday’s win over the Cleveland Browns in the first half with a toe injury, Bourne was a limited participant in practice throughout the week. His injury was later reported as turf toe which did not “seem that serious.” Still, turf toe can be extremely painful, and the severity of the injury is usually determined by its grade. While an official diagnosis has not been revealed, Bourne will be sidelined for Monday’s matchup with the Bears.

The 27-year-old has been off to a puzzling start to his second season with the Patriots. Bourne has seen a dramatic decrease in his playing time, having only taken approximately one third of the Pats offensive snaps. Through the teams first six games, he has logged 13 catches for 170 yards.

Bourne’s demotion has been a rather surprising turn of events. Having signed with the Patriots as a free agent in the 2021 offseason, he quickly became one of the team’s most-reliable receivers. In his first season with New England, Bourne caught 55 passes for 800 yards and five touchdowns in 17 games. In the Pats lone playoff matchup with the Buffalo Bills, he logged seven catches for 77 yards and two touchdowns. He also demonstrated an ability to be a threat in the running game with 12 carries for 125 yards. The versatile wideout even tossed one touchdown pass; coming in the form of a 25-yard, first-quarter scoring strike to Agholor against the New York Jets in Week Seven.

As a receiver, Bourne is able to align in the slot, and on the outside. Though his technical prowess allows him to win from either alignment, he looked most comfortable in the Z-receiver role, while occasionally assisting in the slot. He has also been called upon to line up at the ‘X’ at times, with a respectable level of success. Lastly, Bourne has been known to carry the ball out of the backfield on occasion; both on the jet sweep and on designed runs. In short, his widespread skill set was expected to enhance his role in New England’s offense.

However, Bourne’s dissatisfaction with his potential role and target share within the Patriots’ offense has resulted in a decline in his performance. In fact, New England’s coaches evaluated his place on the depth chart as being fourth, behind fellow wideouts Jakobi Meyers, DeVante Parker and Nelson Agholor. In fact, Bourne’s name has recently surfaced in trade rumors from multiple media outlets.

Though his usage has marginally increased in recent weeks (primarily in New England’s three-receiver sets), suffering his injury just four snaps into Sunday’s game against the Cleveland Browns will temporarily halt his progress.

With Bourne out, the Patriots’ wide receiver depth chart for Monday night will feature Jakobi Meyers, DeVante Parker and Tyquan Thornton. Nelson Agholor is also at risk of missing the game, as he is listed as questionable due to a hamstring issue. The team also has receivers Lynn Bowden, Tre Nixon and Lil’Jordan Humphrey available for elevation via the practice squad.

Kickoff for the Patriots and Bears on Monday Night Football is set for 8:15 p.m. ET from Gillette Stadium.

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Follow Mike D’Abate on Twitter @mdabateNFL and Listen/Subscribe to his daily podcast: Locked On Patriots

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