Bourne: I didn't give the Patriots my best effort last season

Patriots wide receiver Kendrick Bourne admits that he didn't play as hard as he could during New England's 8-9 2022 campaign.

"I didn't give the team my best effort," Bourne said, according to team reporter Mike Dussault. "Personally, we as players have to be our best so we can give the team the opportunity to win, and I feel like I didn't do that. So, I've been grinding, trying to get bigger, weighing more, just being a more solid receiver and being able to do more."

Bourne's production dipped last season after his career-high 55 catches and 800 yards in 2021, as he recorded 434 yards on 35 receptions in 2022. For Bourne, that slump wasn't just evident in his stats.

"I go off how I feel, how I look, and I just wasn't in a good place," he said. "Now, I just want to avoid that. So, it was a good learning process, it was good that it happened to me, and it's always good to learn from hard times, struggling times."

The seventh-year wideout is happy for a fresh start under new offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien. In fact, Bourne is noticing a team-wide increase in focus and confidence under O'Brien during OTAs.

"He knows our traits now and he knows where to put us, so it's been good," Bourne said.

In addition to O'Brien, Bourne believes the acquisitions of JuJu Smith-Schuster and Mike Gesicki have the Patriots' offense on the right track.

"It's all about us growing. I see the growth, I see the focus from everybody," he said. "It's different this year."