FOXBOROUGH – As Kendrick Bourne soured up in the back of the end zone, he reached out with one hand to snatch Mac Jones’ throw out of the air. As the receiver landed, with both feet in bounds, the Patriots offensive players on the field exploded.
The display of emotion was noteworthy. Players were loud and then Mac Jones ran into the end zone to join the celebration, jumping up to deliver a flying chest bump with Bourne.
What a difference a year makes.
Last fall, as the Patriots offense struggled, the overall stat lines for several offensive players dipped. That included Bourne, who had a tough training camp last summer and started the regular season as a backup. Coming off a career-year (800 yards receiving) in 2021, Bourne played less and finished with 434 receiving yards last season.
This offseason, however, the 28-year-old rededicated himself to the gym. Bourne came back to Foxborough stronger, faster and healthier than he did a year ago. His improved physical fitness led to more confidence and that’s led to Bourne having a fantastic training camp this summer.
“I feel good, man. I feel the best I’ve ever felt. Best shape of my life. I’m able to do more and feel better. That’s the key for me,” Bourne said. “I just had to take care of my body better. Just rehabbing, doing the things I had to do off the field so I can perform better on the field.”
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On Monday, Bourne had his best practice of the summer. The receiver finished with a team-high six receptions in competitive team drills. That included a team-high five receptions from Jones.
Although Bourne started slow this summer, once the pads came on, the receiver upped his game. At the beginning of camp, it appears that Bourne was behind the likes of JuJu Smith-Schuster, DeVante Parker and Tyquan Thornton. Since then, Bourne has taken more reps than Thornton when Jones is in at quarterback.
Through 14 days of training camp, Smith-Schuster leads all Patriots receivers with 23 catches from Jones while Parker (16) and Bourne (12) are next. Bourne’s ascension up the Patriots offense isn’t a surprise. Back in 2021, he looked like one of the Patriots most dynamic players on offense.
Following a disappointing season, Bourne hit the gym hard. He posted photos on his Instagram account at Grand Time Fit which is a training facility in Oregon. You can see him doing Olympic-type lifts. When he arrived for training camp, Bourne had gained 15 pounds of muscle, upping his weight from 190 to 205 pounds.
Bourne, who turned 28 this month, admitted that his body started to break down more as he got older. His goal this offseason was to focus on his strength and rehab. That meant gaining muscle, but also doing preventative work to help his body recover.
“It was just wanting to get stronger. The want-to and trying to take care of my body,” Bourne said. “It was doing everything – not just being in the training room because I’m hurt. Being in the training room because I want to strengthen my ligaments and joints. Like my shoulders and knees – keeping them strong.
“As I get older, you can feel the pain. Not like where I can’t play, but I feel the differences from when I was younger. So knowing as I get older, I have to rehab better and take it seriously. I’ve been doing better with that.”
With offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien in the mix, Bourne seems to have a healthy balance of feeling confident because of his physical fitness while also having the support of the coaching staff. In the end, his ability to make plays – like the touchdown on Monday – will only help the Patriots offense.
“My body feels good so I feel good. The confidence is up,” Bourne said.
What a difference a year makes.
