FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The New England Patriots' offense was a major disappointment in 2022, to put it lightly, as they operated under an unusual offensive setup.

New England didn't name an offensive coordinator following Josh McDaniels' departure, opting to make longtime defensive coach Matt Patricia the offensive play caller. Quite possibly no one's play suffered more as a result than Kendrick Bourne's. After a career year in his first season with the Patriots in 2022 (55 receptions for 800 yards and five touchdowns), Bourne only had 35 receptions for 434 yards and just one touchdown last season.

Bourne was noticeably benched and received limited snaps throughout the season, voicing frustration with the way the offense was operating at one point in the campaign.

Following 2022, the Patriots decided to hire an offensive coordinator, bringing back Bill O'Brien for the same role he had over a decade earlier. Suffice to say, Bourne is excited by O'Brien's arrival.

“Bill's familiar with what he's doing, so it feels good,” Bourne said of O'Brien following Friday's organized team activity practice. “You can tell he knows what he's doing in all areas of the offense – receiver, lineman, running back. He knows offense a lot, so it feels good.”

Bourne later mentioned that he feels O'Brien knows the skillset of each offensive player, saying that the offensive coordinator is “doing well.”

“He knows how to engage with all of us, I feel like,” Bourne said. “He knows our traits right now and he knows where to put us, so it's been good. We're still learning each other as a group, but he's doing well. You can tell he knows what he's doing.”

Bourne continued to say how much of a fan he is of O'Brien's presence at offensive coordinator, saying at one point, “It just feels good. Change is good. It's something we needed.”

“It feels good. It feels fast,” Bourne furthered when asked what he's most excited about with O'Brien's offense. “Just exciting, man. Everybody's on the same page. You can feel the growth already, so that's the most exciting part. I feel like we're gonna know exactly what we're doing and who we are – figuring out who we are quickly.”

Even though Kendrick Bourne's comments could be interpreted as him throwing shade at Matt Patricia and Joe Judge (a longtime special teams coach that was the quarterbacks coach last season), he also took accountability for his play. In an effort to improve his play in 2023, Bourne said that he got bigger over the offseason, flexing at one point when a reporter said that he looked like added muscle over the offseason.

Now, Bourne's hoping his offseason of getting back on track can result in producing positive results on the field.

“I was very disappointed in myself and my play and everything, how the year went, so just giving myself the best opportunity to be the best I can be for the team,” Bourne said. “I didn't give the team my best effort, so personally, we all as players need to bring what we can – be our best – so that we can give the team the best opportunity to win. And I felt like I didn't do that. So, like I said, I've been grinding, trying to get bigger, weighing more, and just being a more solid receiver to be able to do more.”

RECOMMENDED (Article Continues Below)
Eliot Wolf on one side, a bunch of New England Patriots fans on the other side with a speech bubble that says "Are we trading the pick?"

Owen Crisafulli ·

Eliot Wolf with NFL Draft logo as the Patriots look to make trades.

Conor Roche ·

The Patriots may need a huge offer to move on from the No. 3 pick in the NFL Draft

Steve Silverman ·

“Just a bad year,” Bourne later added. “I want to get better every year. I feel like I didn't get better.”

Bourne appears likely to get more snaps at receiver this season with the departures of Nelson Agholor and Jakobi Meyers. But the Patriots are reportedly interested in DeAndre Hopkins, who'll make a visit to Foxborough next week, according to the NFL Network.

The Patriots receiver would be OK if the team added another notable face on offense.

“Come on through, man,” Bourne said of Hopkins. “We need any help we can get to win.”