Pats Pulpit Reacts: Will Kendrick Bourne’s workload increase in Week 2 against the Steelers?

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NFL. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in New England Patriots fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate.

Wide receiver Kendrick Bourne playing a mere two offensive snaps was one of the biggest stories coming out of the New England Patriots’ season-opening loss to the Miami Dolphins last Sunday. Despite his encouraging production in 2021 and apparent rapport with quarterback Mac Jones, Bourne was an afterthought in Week 1.

His virtual disappearing act was the culmination of an odd offseason and training camp. That said, all signs point towards him seeing a bigger role moving forward — something Bill Belichick himself hinted at earlier this week.

“I’m sure that he’ll have plenty of opportunities, as all of our skill players will, going forward,” he told WEEI on Monday. “We’ll see how it all plays out.”

The question is just how big that role will really look like. Heading into this week’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, will he be anything more than WR4 behind DeVante Parker, Jakobi Meyers and Nelson Agholor?

Will he return to his 2021 levels that saw him average 4.3 targets per game? Or will he rather continue to be used as a complementary piece in an offense built around two-tight end sets?

In order to get a feel for how fans are feeling about those questions and the state of the team in general, let’s turn to SB Nation’s Reacts survey. This week is obviously all about Week 2: where the Patriots are coming from and where they, and one player in particular, are headed.

To participate, please fill out the following survey. Results will be published later this week.