GLENDALE – Arizona Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort signing free agent wide receiver Kendrick Bourne could be the perfect fit for head coach Mike LaFleur’s scheme. The franchise brought in Bourne on a two-year, $11.47 million deal on Monday. Arizona’s WR room needed an upgrade, and not just because over half of them were injured. Ossenfort gets a capable and experienced WR3 behind Marvin Harrison Jr. and Michael Wilson to bolster the pass game.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The 30-year-old is a nine-year pro and is coming off his best season since 2021 because of his increase role and reps in the slot, a wrinkle that LaFleur will surely take advantage of in 2026.
Oct 19, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Kendrick Bourne (84) before the game against the Atlanta Falcons at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
Bourne Slot Snaps over the years (via PlayerProfiler.com):
- 2020: 206 Slot Snaps (31.4% rate)
- 2021: 187 Slot Snaps (33.8% rate)
- 2022: 116 Slot Snaps (27.0% rate)
- 2023: 98 Slot Snaps (26.6% rate)
- 2024: 102 Slot Snaps (22.3% rate)
- 2025: 113 Slot Snaps (19.3 rate)
Sep 28, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Kendrick Bourne (84) catches a pass against Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Tyson Campbell (3) during the fourth quarter at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
Last season, he had the most receiving yards in four years with 554. However, that number is quite skewed because of Week 5 and 6, where he combined for 15 catches and 284 receiving yards. In the other 14 games, he combined for 260 yards and 22 catches, which fits the narrative of his numbers decreasing based on the number of slot snaps.
In 2020 and 2021, Bourne had 667 and 800 receiving yards with 49 and 55 receptions respectively. Those two season are outliner compared to his previous four seasons and a massive reason is the snaps in the slot. During that two year peak, Bourne had over 30% of his slots in the snap, with the number dipping below that mark in the next four season.
Arizona Cardinals new head coach Mike LaFleur at a news conference on Feb. 3, 2026, at Arizona Cardinals training center in Tempe. © Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
LaFleur is likely to use Bourne as a zone breaker, as he is much more effective in finding holes in opposing defenses during intermediate routes. With offensive line questions next season, the Cardinals will need a weapon that knows how to get open quick. Bourne will provide a different flavor compared to Wilson and Harrison that won’t make the offense one dimensional.
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Reporter Tanner Tortorella covers general assignment for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account, @TannerTSports
