Bill O'Brien weighs in on Tyquan Thornton, Kayshon Boutte, and "big week" for Patriots receivers

BOSTON -- What happens when one of the worst offenses in the NFL loses its most productive player? We're about to find out in New England.

With Kendrick Bourne suffering a torn ACL in Miami on Sunday, the Patriots' offense is due for a major shift. Bourne has been Mac Jones' most trusted receiver since 2021, and as a result, he's been by far the most targeted pass catcher in New England's offense this year. Look at the massive gaps between Bourne and the next guy in targets, receptions, yards, and touchdowns. And then look at how far away the next wide receiver is on those lists.

Patriots Leaders

Targets
1. WR Kendrick Bourne, 55
T-2. RB Rhamondre Stevenson, 34
T-2. TE Hunter Henry, 34
4. WR Demario Douglas, 30

Receptions
1. WR Kendrick Bourne, 37
2. RB Rhamondre Stevenson, 25
3. TE Hunter Henry, 23
4. WR Demario Douglas, 19

Receiving Yards
1. WR Kendrick Bourne, 406
2. TE Hunter Henry, 238
3. WR Demario Douglas, 222

Receiving TDs
1. WR Kendrick Bourne, 4
2. TE Hunter Henry, 2
T-3. WR JuJu Smith-Schuster, 1
T-3. TE Mike Gesicki, 1
T-3. TE Pharaoh Brown, 1

In many ways, Bourne was clearly the focal point of the offense. And now a unit that ranks 31st in points and 26th in yards will have to navigate the rest of the season without him.

On Tuesday, with the Patriots moving past Sunday's loss in Miami and getting prepared for the upcoming game against Washington, offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien spoke to the media. Wide receivers were naturally a large part of the conversation.

"The next guy has to step up and fill that role, and it'll probably be several guys," O'Brien said. "I don't know who those guys will be right now. You know, it comes down to the practice field -- it really does. Like, how do you practice? Like, are you ready to go? By the time Saturday, Sunday rolls around, then Bill [Belichick] will determine who's active for the game. That's really how it is. And so it's a big week for the receivers. Big week."

Demario Douglas

Rookie "Pop" Douglas has been a favorite of the coaching staff dating back to the spring, when the sixth-round pick out of Liberty impressed everyone in the building with his approach. But when asked directly if Douglas is due for an increased role now that Bourne is out, O'Brien said that those two players already had different roles in the offense.

"I probably wouldn't equate the two positions, the two guys in that way," O'Brien said. "I think Pop plays a certain role, a certain position in our offense that's a little bit different than [Bourne]. Sometimes they were combined, but it's a little bit different. I think Pop's got a good role in our offense, it'll continue to grow as he gets more experience in the things that we're trying to do. And Pop's done a good job with the things that we've asked him to do. So he definitely has a role in our offense."

Douglas set a season high with five receptions on Sunday, though he had just 25 receiving yards. A week prior, he had 54 receiving yards and 20 rushing yards against Buffalo. He won't assume Bourne's specific position in the offense, but he's certain to see an increase in targets, as he's clearly earned the trust of Jones and O'Brien.

Tyquan Thornton

The 2022 second-round pick was a healthy scratch on Sunday, providing a new low point for a career that's yet to take off. After missing the first five games of the season due to a shoulder injury, Thornton has been on the field for 28 offensive snaps this season, catching two passes for eight yards.

O'Brien blamed injuries -- both this year and last year -- for setting the young receiver back.

"Yeah, Tyquan has really worked hard. He was injured. I think injuries have been something that, in his brief career, have held him back a little bit. And I think when you get injured and you're out for as long as he has been through no fault of his own -- no fault of his own -- but because of the fact that you missed time, it's hard to get back into the lineup right away," O'Brien said. "There's other guys that have been playing. There's a depth chart. But I do believe that he's worked at it and he's a guy that has a lot of skills that we look for in a receiver, and let's see what happens as we head into the second half of the season."

Thornton did have a strong senior season at Baylor in 2021, catching 62 passes for 948 yards and 10 touchdowns. He was unquestionably misused in Matt Patricia's offense as a rookie, but O'Brien and Thornton are now facing the challenge of how to adapt his skills to the NFL.

Kayshon Boutte

The sixth-round rookie out of LSU suited up in Week 1 and was targeted four times. He didn't catch any of them, with two of his near-receptions involving Boutte being unable to tap a second toe in bounds.

He's yet to be given a jersey on game day since.

Now, though, that could change, as he has a similar profile to Bourne and could play in the slot and outside. The "could" is doing a lot of work in that sentence, though, as the rookie obviously has a lot to prove.

O'Brien was asked about some of the perceived red flags on Boutte coming out of LSU, namely on his coachability and effort.

"Yeah, he's coachable. He's out there every day," O'Brien said. "I think rookies, I've always said that a rookie receiver, it's a very difficult transition. Especially on the perimeter, because in college football, you're not always seeing the same type of coverages that you see in professional football. It's just the way it is. And so sometimes the transition to pro football is tougher, takes a little bit longer.

"But Kayshon's worked very hard and he's showed glimpses of what he can be. And I believe in him and I believe he's got a good future."

JuJu Smith-Schuster, DeVante Parker, Jalen Reagor

O'Brien wasn't asked about JuJu Smith-Schuster, DeVante Parker or Jalen Reagor, though Reagor has carved out a role in the offense in recent weeks.

A first-round pick by the Eagles in 2020, Reagor signed to the Patriots' practice squad at the end of the preseason, after he was released by the Vikings. He was elevated in Week 6 against the Raiders, when he took 14 snaps. He was elevated again in Week 7 against Buffalo and took 25 snaps. He signed to the 53-man roster last week and took 31 offensive snaps in Miami.

Reagor has certainly been on the field, but he has just one catch for 11 yards on three targets. O'Brien faces a challenge that both the Eagles and Vikings failed to accomplish: trying to tap into the skill set that made Reagor a productive receiver in college.

As for Parker, his official status won't be known until Wednesday's practice report. But after he suffered a concussion on Sunday -- his second in 10 months -- he's almost guaranteed to miss this week's game and could miss even more time. (He missed three games after suffering a concussion last year in Arizona.)

And Smith-Schuster did finally get on the board with his first touchdown of the season last week, though that came only after the free-agent acquisition was benched before Bourne's injury. Smith-Schuster has looked lost at times in this offense, and he's caught just 15 passes for 89 yards in six games played. Coming off a 933-yard season last year with Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs, he's been a major disappointment thus far. Though with O'Brien's message being that there's a lot of season left, Smith-Schuster at least has the opportunity to carve out a more defined role in the offense.