Patriots Will Be Without Two Key Offensive Contributors to Start the Season
By Ryan Bunton
When the New England Patriots take the field on Sept. 8 for their 2024 opener, they will be without two key contributors on the offensive side of the ball.
Both wide receiver Kendrick Bourne and guard Cole Strange will start the season on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list, which means they will be unavailable for the team's first four contests. New England opens up in Cincinnati in Week 1 before their home opener in Week 2 against the Seattle Seahawks. They will head to the Meadowlands for a Thursday Night Football game versus the New York Jets before playing the defending NFC champion San Francisco 49ers on the West Coast in Week 4.
Bourne and Strange will be eligible to return for a Week 5 divisional home matchup versus the Miami Dolphins.
Bourne missed New England's final nine games after tearing his ACL in Week 8 against MIami. One of the Patriots' more reliable receivers over the past few seasons, Bourne caught 37 passes for 406 yards and four touchdowns in his truncated season. Despite missing over half of the season, he ranked third in receiving yards and second in touchdowns on the Patriots.
#Patriots WR Kendrick Bourne (ACL) is starting the season on the Physically Unable to Perform list, making him ineligible for the first four games, per sources. pic.twitter.com/nZDOxQJcx8
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) August 27, 2024
A Bill Belichick free agency signing in 2021, New England clearly anticipates that Bourne will be in the fold for the foreseeable future, as Eliot Wolf and the new regime extended him on a three-year, $33 million deal.
In Bourne's absence, the Patriots will rely on some new faces at wideout. The team used a 37th overall pick on Ja'Lynn Polk and a fourth-rounder on Javon Baker, while also signing K.J. Osborn from the Minnesota Vikings. The team is also hoping that DeMario Douglas will make a strong sophomore season jump in 2024.
Meanwhile, a struggling New England offensive line received more tough news on Tuesday, as 2022 first-rounder Cole Strange will also start the season on the PUP list.
Cole Strange is going to start this season on the PUP list, per source.
— Mark Daniels (@ByMarkDaniels) August 27, 2024
This was expected as he's recovering from a knee injury. He's trending in the right direction and it looks like he should be back at some point this season for the Patriots, according to a source.
Strange started in all 17 games as a rookie in 2022, but his 2023 season was mired by injuries as he missed four of the Patriots first six games before suffering a season-ending knee injury in Week 15. Strange's torn patellar tendon is the same injury that is still keeping him out of action.
The Patriots have invested at the interior offensive line over the last two drafts. Sidy Sow and Atonio Mafi are likely candidates to fill the void left by Strange. Sow and Mafi appeared in 15 and 17 games, respectively for the Patriots as rookies in 2023. Sow should have the right guard spot locked down, while Mafi is the likely direct replacement for Strange at left guard.
New England also drafted guard Layden Robinson out of Texas A&M with a fourth-rounder in April's Draft.
As head coach Jerod Mayo acknowledged on Monday, "the starting guard or the starting tackle may not be on the team today." Don't be surprised if the Patriots go out of house to help supplement the offensive line as well, especially with the news on Strange.
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