Steelers Connected To Veteran Wide Receiver On Chopping Block

Kendrick Bourne has an extremely uncertain future with the New England Patriots.

Bourne, 29, signed a three-year contract extension prior to the start of last season, but the emergence of other options like DeMario Douglas and Kayshon Boutte — as well as the offseason additions of Stefon Diggs and Kyle Williams — have him firmly on the roster fringe, according to one analyst.

“While the Patriots are in the enviable position to cut proven receivers this offseason, many other clubs are not,” Bleacher Reports’ Alex Kay wrote on . “If Bourne is ultimately released, he’ll certainly have several suitors amongst the various teams in the market for pass-catching help. Bourne’s best days may be behind him, but it shouldn’t be difficult for him to improve on his underwhelming 2024 marks if he lands with a team that can leverage his schematic versatility and route-running skills.”

The Pittsburgh Steelers could swoop in as a potential suitor, according to another analyst.

“A potential late training camp/end of pre-season cut of Bourne could see the Steelers sprint to add him to the receiving corps,” Behind The Steel Curtain’s Jarrett Bailey said on Wednesday. “Plus, as Chris Carter of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette pointed out to me on The Pump Fake, the Steelers may not need to make a huge splash at the position if Calvin Austin or Roman Wilson show them enough in camp and exhibition play.

The Patriots have too many middling options in the receiver room, as the four previously mentioned are also joined by recent draft picks Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker. It’s almost a matter of time before one difficult decision is made, so keep an eye on the roster battle out in Foxboro, Mass.

Do you think Bourne would be a fit in Pittsburgh? Let us know in the comments.

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