Patriots opt to keep eight receivers, including Kendrick Bourne on 53-man roster
One of the more interesting aspects of the initial 53-man roster of the New England Patriots is the number of receivers Mike Vrabel is bringing into the season. Eight receivers make up the roster at the moment, though that number could decrease before the Patriots kick off their 2025 season on Sept. 7 against the Las Vegas Raiders.
New England's top five receivers were set going into cutdown day, with Stefon Diggs, DeMario Douglas, Kayshon Boutte, Mack Hollins, and rookie Kyle Williams waking up Tuesday as roster locks. Diggs was brought in to be Maye's No. 1 and has made an incredible recovery from his ACL surgery last season, while Douglas and Boutte should be better than they were in 2024. Hollins was signed in the offseason to add a veteran to the mix, and Williams could make some big plays as a rookie.
Efton Chism III was the star of training camp and the preseason and made the cut as an undrafted rookie, and second-year receiver Javon Baker found some new life this summer as a gunner on special teams. But the biggest surprise of the receiving corps is veteran Kendrick Bourne, who made the team despite not practicing since early August with a foot injury.
Going with eight receivers is interesting in that it means less depth elsewhere. Vrabel loves to use his running backs on offense, but the Patriots are carrying just three into the season in Rhamondre Stevenson, TreVeyon Henderson, and Antonio Gibson. But expect a lot more roster tinkering over the next week and over the first month of the season, which could mean a receiver gets subtracted from the mix.
Kendrick Bourne makes the Patriots
While the level of talent remains unknown, the Patriots have some depth at receiver. The team was expected to carry six or seven wideouts into the season, with Chism and Baker seen as the wild cards.
Bourne wasn't expected to make it given his health and lack of production over the last two seasons. But when he is healthy, Bourne can be productive in the passing game, and he's done so with Josh McDaniels as his OC before. Bourne had his best season in 2021 when McDaniels was running the offense in New England, with the receiver racking up 62 receptions for 877 yards and seven touchdowns.
But Bourne has played just 20 games over the last two seasons, and he hasn't practice since he suffered a foot injury in the team's in-stadium practice back on Aug. 2. He's yet to catch a pass from Drake Maye this summer, so it was believed he'd land on IR if he wasn't cut on Tuesday. Instead, he's part of Maye's arsenal heading into the 2025 NFL season.
It's possible the team kept Bourne to use him as filler for an upcoming trade, but it's hard imagine there's much demand for an oft-injured 30-year-old receiver who carries a nearly $8 million cap hit over the next two seasons. It's more likely Bourne is still around because the team is a little concerned about Diggs and Williams (who suffered a concussion in the preseason) making an impact early in the season.
Chism Fever continues
Efton Chism hasn't practiced since he suffered his own foot injury in Minnesota, but he's primed to make a lot of catches as an undrafted rookie in 2025. Chism only played two preseason games, but he finished the exhibition slate with 12 receptions for 121 yards and two touchdowns.
He makes catches and he makes would-be tacklers look silly at times. It looks like the Patriots found another undrafted gem in Chism.
Javon Baker makes the cut
Baker had a disastrous season as a rookie. The fourth-round pick was punished by the team ahead of the season for a social media rant over a traffic ticket he received at Logan Airport, and then caught just one pass over his 11 games.
He struggled to catch passes during the preseason, though a lot of that had to do with Josh Dobbs throwing footballs behind Baker and other receivers. But Baker made the team thanks to his new role as a gunner on special teams. He may not factor in much in New England's passing game, but Vrabel and company are trying to salvage something out of a player the Patriots drafted with the 110th pick just over a year ago.
However, given the team's lack of depth elsewhere on the roster, Baker -- and even Bourne -- could find themselves on the cutting block soon again.