Patriots WR Kendrick Bourne
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Could Patriots WR Kendrick Bourne be what the Jets need to fix their WR room?
On September 1,NFL Insider Jordan Schultz reported, citing sources, that the San Francisco 49ers were hosting former New England Patriots wideout Kendrick Bourne for a visit. The 49ers did have a boost to their wide receiver group with Jauan Jennings returning to practice.
Still, the team is thin at wide receiver. On September 2,NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco reported, citing a source, that the 49ers made a formal offer to sign Bourne. The two sides did not reach an agreement, and Bourne instead visited the Washington Commanders.
Moreover, ESPN’s Nick Wagoner detailed why Bourne and the 49ers probably couldn’t reach an agreement, which has nothing to do with the financial side.
“If healthy, Kendrick Bourne could be WR3 on the 49ers in short order,”Wagoner wrote on X. “The bigger problem for his fit is more [long-term]. If Brandon Aiyuk and Demarcus Robinson are back by week 6 or so, he could fall into more of a [gameday] inactive situation.
“That obviously is dependent on other injury things but still fair to see why he’d want to more closely examine other options where he’d have a more consistent and defined role elsewhere.”
When Will Brandon Aiyuk Return?
San Francisco must get by the first few weeks of the 2025 NFL season as they need to make do without Aiyuk. In an article fromWagoner on August 11, Shanahan doesn’t expect Aiyuk to return until at least Week 6.
“I kind of view all those guys around the same time,” Shanahan said. “Whether it’s Mustafa, whether it’s Rourke or whether it’s Brandon. They’re all at different stages, but where they’re at, I always see ’em around Week 6, which means that could be Week 10, it means it could be Week 5, but that’s the area where I start thinking about it, which is a long way away. I know it’s not Week 1 or anything like that, so it’s something I’m not really thinking about too much.”
Skyy Moore Stands to Benefit from Kendrick Bourne Decision
Former Kansas City Chiefs wideout Skyy Moore benefits from Bourne not signing with the 49ers. Moore is looking for a fresh start in San Francisco after never finding his footing in Kansas City,while speaking to reporters on August 23.
“Yeah, that’s exactly what it is. It’s a fresh start,” Moore said. “New city, new team. I feel like I get to learn again and put the fun back in the game. Not that I lost it, but just another adventure, I’d say. And the guys, what I’ve seen so far, they accepted me. And all the veteran guys and all the coaches helped me make that transition as smooth as possible.”
Had the 49ers landed Bourne, it would mean that Moore sees fewer targets, but now he can take advantage of this opportunity to kickstart his career and not be considered a bust.
It will be interesting to see if Moore gets any action in Week 1 to build positive momentum and be a player that emerges this season as a reliable target for Purdy at a time when he needs them the most.