The New England Patriots are reportedly activating veteran wide receiver Kendrick Bourne for Sunday’s game against the Miami Dolphins, per the Boston Herald’s Andrew Callahan.
Bourne is expected to come off the physically unable to play (PUP) list after returning to practice this week. This will be the first game he’s played since tearing his ACL in Week 8 last year against the Dolphins.
So this is a full-circle return for the standout receiver.
Before the injury, Bourne led all of the Patriots’ receivers with 406 receiving yards halfway into the season. That number was ultimately passed by DeMario Douglas, who stepped into the security blanket role for the quarterbacks once Bourne went down.
Source confirms the #Patriots are activating WR Kendrick Bourne off the Physically Unable to Play list, and he will play tomorrow vs. Miami.
The plan all week had been for Bourne to play Sunday. His practice performance kept that plan on track.
— Andrew Callahan (@_AndrewCallahan) October 5, 2024
Bourne’s return should give a major boost to the Patriots’ offense, assuming they can find some consistency along the offensive line. The biggest issue with New England these days seems to be less about the receivers and more about the pass protection up front.
If the blockers can’t protect the quarterback, it doesn’t matter who the team has on the field running routes.
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