Who Should I Start? Kendrick Bourne or John Metchie III

Saturday, February 22, 12:03 PM

The Athletic's Chad Graff suggests that it could be time for the New England Patriots to move on from wide receiver Kendrick Bourne this offseason, even if he's their top player at their biggest position of need. Bourne missed the start of the 2024 season while recovering from a torn right ACL and caught only 28 passes on 38 targets for 305 yards and one touchdown in 12 games (nine starts) once he returned. With a new coaching regime in town, the Patriots could move on from Bourne, who will be heading into his age-30 season in 2025. New England would save $4.9 million in salary cap space if they cut him before June 1 or $6.3 million if they cut him with a post-June 1 designation. Bourne is under contract with the Patriots through the 2026 season, but it wouldn't be a huge surprise to see this rebuilding organization go in another direction as they completely rebuild their receiving corps.

Saturday, January 11, 8:18 PM

Houston Texans wide receiver John Metchie III was the second option in the Houston passing offense on Saturday, catching four passes for 28 yards in a 32-12 victory against the Los Angeles Chargers. The Alabama product was targeted eight times, which tied receiver Nico Collins for the most on the team, but brought in only half of them. With Stefon Diggs (knee) and Tank Dell (knee) both out for the season, Houston has yearned for another receiver to get in the mix behind Collins, and Metchie seemed to be the preferred next man up on Saturday. The victory assured Houston will have at least one more game with a Divisional Round date to be decided.