New England Patriots: 3 players that exceeded expectations this season

New England Patriots player who exceeded expectations No. 2: Kendrick Bourne

Nobody really batted an eye when the Patriots inked former San Francisco 49ers receiver Kendrick Bourne to a 3 year, $15 million deal in free agency last offseason. Bourne hadn’t managed to make much of impact during his first four seasons in San Fran, and Patriots fans were hoping the team would add a bigger name on the wide receiver market instead. Turns out, Bourne was arguably the team’s best value free agent signing from last offseason.

Heading into the season, Bourne was expected to be the team’s third wide receiver behind Nelson Agholor and Jakobi Meyers. By the season’s end, Bourne was arguably the team’s most dynamic playmaker. His performance in New England’s Wild Card loss (7 REC, 77 YDS, 2 TD) really showed how much he had grown in just one season.

Bourne formed a solid top duo with Meyers, while Agholor ended up becoming the disappointment of the group, but that’s a discussion for another time. He delivered some of the biggest plays of the season, such as his 75 yard touchdown against the Dallas Cowboys, or his magnificent 41 yard catch and run score against the Tennessee Titans. Bourne and Jones formed a pretty solid bond early on, and he became one of his top targets as the season progressed.

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Similar to Jones, Bourne’s final stats this season aren’t groundbreaking by any stretch of the imagination (55 REC, 800 YDS, 5 TD) but it’s a marked improvement from his days as a 49er, and is probably more than what anybody was expecting from him in his first season in New England.

The Patriots aerial attack could look much different next season, but considering Bourne and Jones’ rapport, Bourne should have a chance to surpass 1000 yards next season. Bourne came from out of nowhere to be the Patriots top playmaker this season, and just like Jones, it would be wise to expect him to improve his game during his second season with New England.