Eagles Trade Proposal Brings Patriots WR to Philly to ‘Help’ Jalen Hurts

The Philadelphia Eagles enter the 2025 season with one of the NFL’s most dynamic receiving duos in A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith—but behind them, the picture is far less certain.

Jahan Dotson, the presumed WR3, has underwhelmed since arriving in Philadelphia, has been far from consistent and has failed to carve out a role for himself. That uncertainty could push the Eagles to explore trade options for a more proven veteran—and there could be one waiting in the wings over in New England.

Cory Woodroof of USA Today’s For the Win put together 10 “plausible trades that could go down before or during training camp this summer.” He has the Eagles trading for Patriots WR Kendrick Bourne listed among them.

“The Patriots have one of the most crowded receiver rooms in the NFL, and it feels there will be an odd man out with potential starters,” Woodruff wrote on July 10. “Bourne still holds value as a veteran wideout who can help any quarterback, and New England might be curious to see what it could get in a future asset as opposed to cutting Bourne outright.”

Trade Proposal Has Philadelphia Eagles Adding WR Kendrick Bourne for 7th-Rounder

 

Woodruff’s proposal? “A 2026 seventh-round pick to New England for Bourne.”

If all it would take is a seventh-rounder to add Bourne, the Eagles should pounce.

“The Eagles could give Bourne a clearer path to the field and quarterback Jalen Hurts an excellent depth option in the passing game,” Woodruff also noted. “Adding Bourne could be a really savvy move to address receiver depth for Philadelphia.”

Bourne, who turns 30 in August, entered the NFL in 2017 as an undrafted free agent with the San Francisco 49ers. Over his first three years in San Francisco, he consistently improved, topping out at 49 receptions for 667 yards in 2020.

In 2021, he signed on with the Patriots and broke out, posting career highs with 55 receptions, 800 receiving yards and five touchdowns. He also showed creative utility with 125 rushing yards on 12 carries — and he even threw a touchdown pass to boot.

While 2023 saw him briefly sidelined by an ACL tear, Bourne returned to catch 28 passes for 305 yards and a touchdown in just 12 games in 2024.Bourne Would Be Improvement Over Dotson

Bourne has carved out a career as a high-floor receiver who delivers precisely what teams need from their WR2/3 targets—solid catch rate, reliable yards per target and solid situational play. Throughout New England’s offense, he ranked among league leaders in target premium and yards per target, and he has averaged 12.7 yards per catch over his eight seasons.

He also has playoff experience, having appeared in four postseason games over his time with the Pats. Considering what Philly has had production-wise from the WR3 slot lately, Bourne could be a welcome addition.

In 2024, Dotson finished with just 216 yards on 19 catches — and he ranked near the bottom among WRs in yards per route run. He has yet to score a TD in regular season play, although he did snag one in the playoffs last season.

Meanwhile, Bourne’s strengths seem to align better with Philadelphia’s needs: He’s a clean route-runner with dependable hands and veteran savvy — and he has been especially good on third down.

For a team looking to make another title run, a marginal upgrade at WR3 could provide another spark for the Eagles. We’ll see how they handle it.