One of the biggest developments of the New England Patriots’ win over the Chicago Bears last week was Kendrick Bourne not playing a single snap. While the veteran wide receiver did make the game day roster, he ended up spending the entire 19-3 contest on the bench.

Despite his surprise benching, however, offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt still feels strongly about Bourne and his future within his unit.

“We’ll put the guys out there that give us the best chance. Kendrick did some good things [in Week 9] and he’s a big part of this offense,” Van Pelt told reporters on Thursday.

“Just felt like there were some areas where he could improve and that was kind of based on that. But he’ll be a big part of us moving forward. He brings a lot of energy to the field, and his effort’s exceptional. That’s just the way it went last week. It can change week to week right now, but he’s a big part of our team.”

Coming off a torn ACL, Bourne was forced to spend his offseason in rehabilitation and start his 2024 campaign on the Patriots’ physically unable to perform list. He was activated to the 53-man roster in early October, and steadily increased his playing time between Weeks 5 and 9.

However, despite coming off his most productive game of the season — catching four passes for 41 yards against the Tennessee Titans — the Patriots decided to bench him versus Chicago. In his place, veteran K.J. Osborn and rookie Ja’Lynn Polk served as the top options at the Z-receiver position.

“It was tough,” Bourne told the Boston Herald earlier this week. “But I’m self-evaluating and looking at myself, how I could be better. So, that’s really just how I got to look at it. You know, watching the film honestly, of my last four games, I could be a lot better, lot more crisp. And that’s just kind of how I’m going to go about moving forward is being more clean, being better.”

On the year, Bourne has caught eight passes for 70 yards while playing exactly half of New England’s offensive snaps since his return. How those numbers will develop over the coming weeks, starting with Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Rams, will be seen.

Based on Van Pelt’s statements on Thursday, however, the ball is in Bourne’s court now — and he knows it, too.