MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — As the oppressive Floridan sun beat down on the Patriots sideline, Kendrick Bourne stood in the swampy humidity for 54 minutes with nothing to do.
New England’s most explosive offensive player in 2021, Bourne watched as DeVante Parker, Jakobi Meyers, and Nelson Agholor populated three wide receiver sets. Eventually, he saw practice squadder Lil’Jordan Humphrey enter the game before him. There Bourne stood, until there were fewer than six minutes on the clock in a 20-7 loss.
His precipitous fall down the depth chart is as perplexing as any in recent memory.