In 2021, the Buffalo Bills were in pursuit of wide receiver Kendrick Bourne during his initial free agency period, but ultimately lost out to the New England Patriots. However, they may be looking to make a second attempt at signing the experienced receiver. According to a report by Andrew Callahan of the Boston Herald, the Bills are ready to “swoop in” and secure Bourne if the Patriots are unable to re-sign him. Along with the Jets and Rams, the Bills are expected to be among the teams pursuing Bourne once he becomes an unrestricted free agent in March.
During his time with the Patriots, Bourne has proven himself to be a dependable target, catching 127 passes for 1,640 yards and 10 touchdowns in just 41 games. He was performing exceptionally well in the first half of the 2023 season, leading the Patriots in receptions (37), receiving yards (406), and touchdowns (4) before a torn ACL prematurely ended his season in a game against the Dolphins.
Callahan also mentioned that Bourne is expected to generate significant interest in free agency, with another team from the AFC East rumored to be interested in signing him. Based on previous evidence, if the Patriots are unable to re-sign Bourne, they may lose him to a division rival. In the past, the Jets had expressed interest in Bourne, and other teams such as the Raiders and Rams had also inquired about him, but the Patriots made it clear that he was not available and kept him on their roster even after his injury in October. Prior to joining the Patriots, Bourne had also received interest from the Bills and Texans.
Bleacher Report’s Joe Tansey suggested that the Bills will target one of the more affordable pass-catchers on the free-agent market.
“Buffalo should look to the second tier of wide receiver free agents to add to [Stefon] Diggs, [Khalil] Shakir, Dalton Kincaid and Dawson Knox in the passing attack,” Tansey wrote.
“Jauan Jennings, D.J. Chark, Josh Reynolds and K.J. Osborn are among the potential candidates the Bills could look at to upgrade from Davis.”
The Bills are also expected to look for a receiver in the draft, with many predicting they will use their first-round pick to find a new counterpart for Diggs. Chris Trapasso of CBS Sports had the Bills picking Oregon receiver Troy Franklin in his mock draft, predicting that the big target could be a boost for Josh Allen and the passing game.
“Franklin is a tall speedster whose numbers increased in each of his three seasons at Oregon,” Trapasso wrote. “There’s some after-the-catch juice to his game too. Precisely what the Bills need offensively.”
