Tag: Kendrick Bourne

Report: Patriots agree to terms on deal with WR Kendrick Bourne

Another weapon for New England’s offense.

The New England Patriots agreed to terms on a contract with receiver Kendrick Bourne, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. Bourne is set to earn $22.5 million over three years.

He finished the 2020 season with 49 catches for 667 yards and two touchdowns on the San Francisco 49ers, where he spent his first four seasons after going undrafted out of Eastern Washington.

He is the second receiver to join the Patriots and the seventh player to sign with New England on Monday. Bourne and receiver Nelson Agholor will join the Patriots, along with tight end Jonnu Smith, defensive linemen Davon Godchaux, Carl Davis and Deatrich Wise and linebacker Matt Judon.

Bourne, a possession receiver at 6-foot-1 and 205 pounds, is a nice compliment to Agholor, a speedy threat. The Patriots also added Smith, a tight end who seems poised to be one of their top pass-catching threats. Meyers was also excellent over the second half of the season from the slot. And if healthy, Edelman is always a threat.

Even after all these additions, the Patriots seem to lack a No. 1 receiver.

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Grading WR Kendrick Bourne’s deal with the New England Patriots: B

Bill Belichick added yet another wide receiver, reaching an agreement with Kendrick Bourne. What does he bring to the New England Patriots?

Please Bill please. I’m just trying to eat dinner. Save some moves for tomorrow.

It seems, however, that Bill Belichick is not going to listen to me, as the New England Patriots continue their spending spree as the NFL’s legal tampering period kicks off. Having already reached deals with players such as Jonnu Smith and Nelson Agholor on the offensive side of the football, the Patriots dipped into the skill position group again on Monday, reaching an agreement with wide receiver Kendrick Bourne:

Bourne is an athletic receiver who checks one of the Patriots’ biggest boxes when it comes to evaluating the position: Change-of-direction skills. He posted a three-cone time of 6.73 seconds back in 2017 at the Scouting Combine, and over the years New England has often targeted players with good times in that drill, as they measure a player’s ability to quickly change directions. In their offense, with so many option routes, that skill is a prerequisite to playing the position.

Like many of their signings, Bourne is coming off his best season as a pro. He was targeted 74 times in the passing game, catching 49 passes for 667 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Every statistic there but for the touchdown receptions represents a career-high mark for Bourne.

In the discussion of Nelson Agholor’s deal, it was pointed out that the Patriots might have a glut of players who operate out of the slot. While Bourne’s change-of-direction skills might also peg him for that alignment, his size and ability against press coverage might give him the chance to play on the outside, even as the X receiver in some of New England’s packages. So while the Agholor signing might have been a reach, this move by the Patriots seems like a smarter investment.

Plus, now all of New England media gets to make reference to Jason Bourne and the Bourne movies, so there’s that.

Now, now I’m going to eat dinner.

Kendrick Bourne leaving 49ers for New England Patriots

Kendrick Bourne, an unrestricted free agent, is signing a 3-year contract with the New England Patriots.

The 49ers are going to lose a key member of their receiving corps. Kendrick Bourne is headed to the New England Patriots on a three-year deal worth $22.5 million according to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport.

San Francisco signed Bourne out of Eastern Washington in 2017 as an undrafted rookie. He contributed some in his first year with 16 catches for 257 yards in 11 games, but he broke out as a bonafide NFL receiver the following year.

The 49ers struggled with injuries at receiver and it pushed Bourne into a leading role on a banged up San Francisco club that was missing its starting quarterback for most of the year. He posted a team-high 487 receiving yards and four touchdowns on 42 receptions.

From there he carved out a niche as a reliable third-down and red zone option for the 49ers. Of his 79 catches in his final two years with the team, 58 of them went for either a first down or a touchdown, including 23 of 30 in the 2019 season.

For his career, Bourne has hauled in 137 of 218 targets for 1,769 yards and 11 touchdowns. On a weapon-needy team like New England, Bourne should quickly find a role as a go-to possession receiver if pushed into the No. 1 or No. 2 pass-catcher role.

Jets interested in 49ers WR Kendrick Bourne, DB K’Waun Williams

The Jets have checked out several 49ers players before free agency, including receiver Kendrick Bourne and cornerback K’Waun Williams.

Unsurprisingly, the Jets are taking a look at Robert Saleh and Mike LaFleur’s former players.

The Jets have looked into a couple of San Francisco 49ers in the lead-up to free agency, according to The Athletic’s Connor Hughes, including wide receiver Kendrick Bourne and cornerback K’Waun Williams. Both would fill positions of need for the Jets, though their price would dictate whether or not Joe Douglas signs them, per Hughes.

Bourne is an underrated receiver who caught 49 receptions for 667 yards and two touchdowns last season. He’s never been the go-to option in San Francisco with players like Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk and Emmanuel Sanders ahead of him on the depth chart, but the 6-foot-1 receiver has caught 10 of his 11 touchdowns since 2017 in the red zone. He’s a great fit in the Kyle Shanahan-style offense as a possession or red zone target.

The Jets are clearly looking at signing receiver support for their offense. In addition to Bourne, the Jets are reportedly interested in JuJu Smith-Schuster and Will Fuller.

Williams was an unheralded member of Saleh’s secondary when both joined the 49ers in 2017. Williams broke out in 2019 with two interceptions, four forced fumbles, 51 combined tackles and one sack. He missed half of last year with a knee injury but still tallied two sacks, a forced fumble and four defended passes. Williams would likely be a replacement for Brian Poole if the Jets either don’t believe he’s a good fit for their new defense or if he is too expensive in free agency.

The Jets should absolutely sign as many Saleh players as possible to speed up the transition period for the rest of the roster. As with everything, though, it’s all a matter of cost. The Jets have around $68 million in cap space heading into free agency and very easily could be one of the biggest spenders of the offseason.

Fantasy football free agency roundup

NFL free agency will drastically help reshape the fantasy football landscape as the new league year begins.

Now that NFL free agency is upon us, here is where we’ll run through the fantasy football outlooks for trades, re-signings, midrange players, and tag recipients.

This analysis will be updated as players sign/re-sign in free agency, so be sure to check back regularly.

Signed with new team or traded

RB Mark Ingram, Houston Texans: The 31-year-old inked a one-year, $2.5 million deal in Houston to pair with fellow well-aged runner David Johnson. The duo will create a one-two punch, so long as what we saw from Baltimore making Ingram a healthy scratch late last year wasn’t foreshadowing. Some of that was due to him not playing special teams and the team wanting to get a closer look at rookie J.K. Dobbins. Presuming quarterback Deshaun Watson returns, Ingram still has a dicey outlook. The Texans’ porous defense has so many needs that it’s tough to see the offense being able to consistently run the ball if the other side cannot contain opposing offenses. Ingram needs bulk to make a mark in fantasy lineups, which rarely will be the case, unless he finds regular success around the goal line, consider the veteran merely roster depth or a handcuff to Johnson.

Re-signed/extensions

QB Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys: There’s no surprise associated with the four-year, $160 million extension Prescott signed prior to free agency opening. He wasn’t ever going to be allowed to leave the building, as evidenced by a formality of being tagged again. As long as his ankle rehab goes according to plan, this potential No. 1 overall fantasy quarterback has the tools to pick up where he left off.

QB Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers:While it’s technically an extension, Big Ben’s deal was reworked to provide cap relief for the Steelers and keep him in a black-and-yellow uni for one last go of it. Roethlisberger will almost assuredly be without WR JuJu Smith-Schuster, and Pittsburgh has a new offensive coordinator in Matt Canada, but there’s still enough to like about the situation for Roethlisberger to be in the conversation of a low-tier rotational starter.

QB Cam Newton, New England Patriots: The knee-jerk reaction is to scoff at Newton getting a one-year, $14 million deal to re-sign with the Pats. A closer look should elicit a more measured response. Last year, just about everything worked against Cam finding success. He signed late (June 28), there was no offseason program, the offensive system is intricate, New England lost several key players to the opt-out, the offensive line had to shuffle talent several times, no receivers to speak of, zero tight ends of consequence, an erratic rushing attack, and Newton was returning from foot surgery prior to joining New England. Excuses, you may say … perhaps, but all of those factors are undeniable reality. Newton is finally healthy after three straight offseasons of rehabbing from surgery. Wait to see how the Patriots address wide receiver and tight end concerns, but it’s unwise to entirely dismiss a rebound by Newton.

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QB Taylor Heinicke, Washington Football Team: The former Panther parlayed an admirable playoff start into a two-year extension in Washington. He knows the system and the brain trust’s nucleus from his time in Carolina. Alex Smith’s release opens the door for Heinicke to compete for a starting job while having the upper hand against a newcomer who won’t be as familiar with the playbook. It’s unlikely, however, Heinicke is the season-long starter for this offense as an incoming rookie or free-agent acquisition will have that momentum on his side.

Franchise/transition tagged

WR Chris Godwin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: No one paying attention expected the Buccaneers to allow Godwin to walk into free agency. Look for a stronger showing in 2021 after an injury-pocked season a year ago derailed Godwin’s campaign from nearly the onset. He’s a legit WR2 in all settings, but his upside is capped at that position overall with the bevy of talent around him in the passing game.

WR Allen Robinson, Chicago Bears: It seemed for quite some time that Chicago wouldn’t have the cap space to tag Robinson, but he was indeed slapped with the tender of $17-plus million for 2021. While he would like a long-term deal, and the team may still yet find a way to meet his demands by July 15, there also remains a chance this could get ugly. Robinson doesn’t want to play on the tag, nor must he sign the tender. He then wouldn’t play or get paid, so there’s that, and $17.89 mill is nothing to sneeze at during an offseason in which the salary cap actually goes down. At 27, Robinson could put his John Hancock on the offer sheet and still hit free agency in 2022 young enough to get one last shot at a huge deal when teams will have more money to throw around. Long story short, he mostly is quarterback-proof, but Chicago still needs to put a better product on the field. Whether it is Nick Foles or someone else under center in 2021, A-Rob is a viable PPR WR1 with a hint of downside.

Remains unsigned

  • Quarterbacks: Alex Smith, Mitchell Trubisky, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Jameis Winston, Jacoby Brissett
  • Running backs: Aaron Jones, Chris Carson, Kenyan Drake, Todd Gurley, Duke Johnson, Tevin Coleman, James White, Matt Breida, Brian Hill, Leonard Fournette, Malcolm Brown, Jerick McKinnon, Adrian Peterson, Le’Veon Bell, Kalen Ballage, James Conner, Marlon Mack, Wayne Gallman, Jamaal Williams, Mike Davis
  • Wide receivers: A.J. Green, T.Y. Hilton, Emmanuel Sanders, Larry Fitzgerald, Golden Tate, DeSean Jackson, Adam Humphries, Sammy Watkins, Marvin Jones, John Brown, Breshad Perriman, Corey Davis, Willie Snead, John Ross, Keelan Cole, Kendrick Bourne, Will Fuller, Demarcus Robinson, Antonio Brown, Curtis Samuel, Damiere Byrd, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Nelson Agholor, Rashard Higgins, David Moore, Kenny Golladay
  • Tight ends: Hunter Henry, Rob Gronkowski, Kyle Rudolph, Jared Cook, Tyler Eifert, Gerald Everett, Jordan Reed, Jonnu Smith, Trey Burton

A trio of NFL free agents with more fantasy football upside than hype

Uncovering possible fantasy football values from 2021 free agency.

This year’s NFL free-agent class is as deep as ever, and there’s no doubt fantasy footballers will see several marquee names changing teams. In this piece, we’ll examine three unheralded players whose movement will fly under the radar in comparison to their elite counterparts.

These names are more along the lines of intriguing options than surefire fantasy targets, regardless of where they land, so we’ll revisit when all of the pieces of the puzzle fit together.

RB Brian Hill

The 25-year-old impending free agent is likely to leave the Atlanta Falcons in search of another opportunity, although a return to the Dirty Birds isn’t totally out of the question. He’d have an opportunity to be the guy, in theory. Hill was cut twice early in his career and said he did some soul searching as a result, which helped lead to him receiving rave reviews entering 2020, and it showed on the field.

Some of him being buried on the depth chart can be blamed on the pedigree of the players ahead of him (Devonta Freeman, Tevin Coleman, Todd Gurley) since coming back over from a brief stint the Cincinnati Bengals, but injuries and poor play still didn’t open enough opportunities for Hill to fully take over until this past season.

Hill has been efficient in his short NFL run. He had played only seven NFL games in his first two years, and he saw just 22 utilizations come his way in 2018. The sample size is small, but Hill averaged 7.8 yards per carry that year. He followed it up with three scores on 88 touches and averaged 4.1 yards per carry in 2019 behind what was a horrendous offensive line. In 2020, Hill saw his workload increase to a personal-high 100 carries and 25 receptions. He averaged 4.7 yards rushing and 8.0 receiving, so there’s something to be found here in the right system.

Speaking purely on opportunity, the best fits include the Miami Dolphins, New York Jets, Seattle Seahawks, San Francisco 49ers, Arizona Cardinals and Atlanta. Finding a team with a consistently split backfield is the more likely scenario for Hill. There could be valuable roles found in Houston, New Orleans and Carolina.

WR Kendrick Bourne

Entering his first shot at free agency, Bourne probably outplayed himself re-signing with the 49ers after posting career highs for receptions (49) and yardage (667) in 15 appearances. He scored only twice, down from five in 2019 and four the year prior, as the Niners struggled at quarterback. San Francisco has to address its secondary and other contractual situations before paying Bourne what he’s worth on the market. Both sides have interest in exploring a renewal, and Bourne has stated his goal is to play for a contender.

In San Fran, should he return, Bourne is no better than the fourth weapon on any given play. The 49ers could opt to pay him a little more than the front office desires on a one-year pact to keep continuity in the offense after injuries derailed wide receiver Deebo Samuels and tight end George Kittle’s 2020 seasons.

A better fantasy situation is Bourne sells his services — highlighted by being clutch and displaying strong work ethic — to the highest-bidding playoff contender. On such a short list, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Indianapolis, Tennessee, Las Vegas, Seattle, New Orleans and Green Bay. In the event he is lured by money or opportunity over a shot at playing late into the postseason, Detroit, Carolina, Chicago, Miami, both New York teams, and Jacksonville make ample sense for both parties.

QB Mitchell Trubisky

The former Chicago Bear was a project when he entered the NFL in 2017, and one could soundly argue his first four years in the league hindered his progress. It’s tough to find consistency with three offensive coordinators in four years.

The key for Trubisky to make a difference in fantasy football is finding the right landing spot. Not only will he need the weapons around him and line to protect him, but Trubisky has to be comfortable. He played his best football in Chicago when he had nothing to lose.

Getting all of those things to line up accordingly is going to be an issue. The best place for this to happen is with the New Orleans Saints. The only other viable options are Denver and Jacksonville, and neither is even remotely close to being the same caliber setting as New Orleans.

He’s not going to immediately turn into Peyton Manning after signing in a new city. That also doesn’t mean he should be totally written off. What is needed: more consistency. Trubisky posted 25-plus fantasy points in seven of his past 16 full contests (regular season). For comparison, Russell Wilson had nine, Kyler Murray had 10, Tom Brady posted nine, and Ryan Tannehill authored six — all were top-nine fantasy quarterbacks in 2020.

Keep tabs on his travels in free agency and remain open-minded about Trubisky’s future rather than dwell on his past.

Top 6 free agents 49ers should prioritize

The 49ers have some tough decisions to make in free agency, but these are the free agents they should be prioritizing.

The 49ers have more than 40 free agents going into an offseason where salary cap space will be at a premium.

Prioritizing their players set to hit the open market will be crucial in an attempt to restructure a Super Bowl caliber roster. While they’ll likely add some of the lower-tier, cheaper players on low-cost deals for depth, they have to also retain some of their top-end players as well.

Unfortunately San Francisco won’t be able to keep them all barring a major change in the NFL’s salary cap for next season. Here are the six free agents the 49ers should prioritize first:

6 takeaways from 49ers’ Week 17 loss to Seahawks

The 49ers fought hard in Week 17, but couldn’t pull out a win over the Seahawks. There was quite a bit to take away from the defeat.

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Sunday’s season finale was a roller coaster for the 49ers that provided one last gut punch in a season full of them. The 49ers were down 6-0, battled back to take a 16-6 lead in the fourth quarter, then fell 26-23 to finish their season with another loss.

Here are six takeaways from San Francisco’s final game of the year:

Report: 49ers WR Kendrick Bourne will be available vs. Saints

Kendrick Bourne will come off the COVID-19 list and play vs. the New Orleans Saints.

The 49ers receiving corps may look a little more whole Sunday in New Orleans than it did in Week 9. Matt Maiocco from NBC Sports Bay Area reported wide receiver Kendrick Bourne will come off the Reserve/COVID-19 list and travel with the club to New Orleans.

Bourne went on the COVID-19 list before Week 9 after a positive test for the virus. He came off the day after the game, but went back on after another positive test following multiple negative tests. Now he’s passed through COVID-19 protocol again and gets to suit up against the Saints.

San Francisco is already short on receivers with Deebo Samuel working through a hamstring issue and River Cracraft nursing a quad injury. It looked like Brandon Aiyuk, Richie James and Trent Taylor would be the team’s three healthy receivers on the 53-man roster. Now they’ll have Bourne who’ll operate as the No. 2 receiver.

He had a good game against the Saints last season with a pair of touchdown catches and a big third-down conversion late in the game. This season Bourne has 25 receptions for 352 yards and a touchdown.

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49ers open Richard Sherman’s practice window, place Kendrick Bourne on COVID-19 list again

The San Francisco 49ers opened Richard Sherman’s practice window and placed Kendrick Bourne back on the COVID-19 list.

The 49ers on Monday made a series of roster moves that included opening the practice window for veteran cornerback Richard Sherman. They also promoted wide receiver River Cracraft and safety Johnathan Cyprien to the active roster from the practice squad, and signed undrafted wide receiver Chris Finke to the practice squad. Additionally, wide receiver Kendrick Bourne was placed back on the Reserve/COVID-19 list.

Sherman has been on Injured Reserve since he injured his calf in Week 1. He was expected back after just a few weeks, but treatments hadn’t taken properly and setbacks pushed him out for several weeks. With his practice window open, he will be able to be on the practice field without being on the active roster. The team has 21 days to decide whether to activate him or put him on season-ending IR.

The last update head coach Kyle Shanahan gave said Sherman could return after the Bye week. Opening his practice window now would allow him to get back into practice ahead of the Week 11 Bye, then rejoin the roster before their Week 12 matchup against the Rams. However, he’d be eligible to return vs. the Saints if the team deemed him healthy enough.

Bourne received another positive COVID-19 test after receiving multiple negative tests according to Jennifer Lee Chan of NBC Sports Bay Area. He was placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list prior to the 49ers’ Thursday night game vs. the Packers, and taken off the list the following day after consecutive negative tests Wednesday and Thursday. The team hasn’t been in the facility so there shouldn’t be additional players going on the list as high-risk close contacts like we saw last week, but there’s been no announcement either direction.

Cracraft will provide additional depth at receiver, and needed to be promoted to the active roster after being flexed twice. The same goes for Cyprien who’ll give depth in their banged up secondary. Strong safety Jaquiski Tartt exited the Packers game with a foot injury of unknown severity, but Cyprien’s activation isn’t a great sign for Tartt’s immediate outlook.

Finke signed with the 49ers as an undrafted rookie out of Notre Dame. This will be his third stint with the club.