Mac at practice, off injury report
Cleared to play against Steelers
FOXBORO >> Return of the Mac.
Patriots quarterback Mac Jones returned to practice Friday and was removed from the team’s injury report, indicating he has been cleared to play Sunday in Pittsburgh. Jones hit the field after missing the first practice of his career Thursday due to illness. Jones’ illness is not believed to be COVID-related, and teammates expressed confidence his availability wouldn’t be affected on game day.
“He looked good, man. We missed him yesterday,” Pats wide receiver Kendrick Bourne said Friday. “He’s ready to go, so he feels good.”
Jones dealt with back spasms early in the week, but he recovered in time to be a full participant in Wednesday’s practice, when the Pats installed the earlydown portion of their game plan. He missed the team’s third-down installation on Thursday, and Patriots coach Bill Belichick confirmed Friday morning the team was open to tweaking its final practice to account for Jones’ absence.
Like Jones, linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley was removed from the team’s injury report after being listed with a toe injury. Six Patriots have been listed as questionable, including offensive tackle Trent Brown, who suffered an ankle injury Thursday, safety Adrian Phillips (ribs) and linebacker Raekwon McMillan (thumb). McMillan was a new addition, indicating he hurt his thumb Friday.
All members of the team’s active roster were present at practice. In Pittsburgh, the Steelers removed every player from their injury report, including running back Najee Harris, who suffered a foot injury last week at Cincinnati. The only player who will miss Sunday’s kickoff will be All-Pro outside linebacker T.J. Watt, who was recently placed on injured reserve with a torn pectoral.
Bourne expecting more snaps
Patriots wide receiver Kendrick Bourne played just two snaps in the team’s season-opening loss to Miami.
He appears primed for more Sunday in Pittsburgh.
Speaking to reporters Friday, Bourne said he feels he will be more involved against the Steelers.
“Yeah, yeah, for sure,” Bourne said. “I’ve got some plays that I see out there. It was kind of the same last week, too, but it’s the same.”
Earlier, when asked if he had been given any indication he would see more action Sunday, Bourne said: “Yeah, just been practicing. Been in that role, so just rotating, you know. Just waiting to go in. It’s been good, though.”
Bourne was more definitive about the quality of his recent practices.
“Feel better, feel better. Feel a lot better,” he said. “Healthy, just moving well, and just want to do everything right that I’m supposed to do.”
Last weekend, Bourne caught a 41-yard pass on his second and final snap of the Pats’ 20-7 loss at Miami. For the first 54 minutes of play, he had benched in favor of veterans Jakobi Meyers, DeVante Parker and Nelson Agholor. Practicesquad wideout Lil’Jordan Humphrey also saw snaps ahead of Bourne and finished with three.
After the game, Bourne admitted he hadn’t shown the coaches enough to earn their trust, but couldn’t entirely explain his lack of playing time.
Bourne is coming off a difficult summer, when he recorded the fewest receptions of any pass catcher in team periods of Patriots training camp. He was also tossed for fighting in one joint practice with the Panthers and got sent home after showing up late to the Pats’ ensuing preseason game with Carolina.
In the team’s preseason finale, Bourne caught two passes for 16 yards, including one for a fourth-down conversion. On Friday, he was asked what’s helped him get through a tough summer and start to the season.
“Just keeping my spirits high, not getting down,” Bourne said. “Just staying focused, staying in the playbook, staying on top of things I need to be on top of so I can be ready to make plays.”
Last year, Bourne was the Pats’ second-leading receiver with 800 yards and their most explosive with a team-best 14.5 yards per catch average.
Chase Gronkowski?
At 6-foot-4 and 238 pounds, Steelers receiver Chase Claypool stands as one of the biggest wideouts in the NFL.
On Friday, Claypool’s size inspired Bill Belichick to compare him to an alltime tight end.
“Big, fast, really good hands, big catch radius. He’s kind of always open,” Belichick said. It’s like covering a guy like (Rob) Gronkowski — no matter where you are on him, there’s a place where he can reach and get the ball that you can’t reach and get the ball. I know they use him in a variety of ways — down the field, catch-and-run plays, hand him the ball, things like that.
“He’s a big, physical player, can block, block at the point of attack, run. Hard guy to tackle.”
Last week against the Bengals, Claypool led the Steelers with 36 rushing yards on six carries. He also caught four passes for 18 yards. The third-year wideout has started his career with back-to-back 800-yard seasons and scored nine touchdowns as a rookie in 2020.
Gunner wants to show up Pats
Former Patriots returner wide receiver Gunner Olszewski is excited to face his old team Sunday.
More than that, the Steelers’ new return man wants to prove to the Pats they made the wrong decision to let him walk.
“Anytime you play the ex, you want to show out,” Olszewski said Friday, via Steelers.com. “Any time I get the ball, I want to do something with it. Playing the old team, the team that didn’t want you, sure I want to go out there and show what I can do.”
The Patriots declined to tender Olszewski last offseason as a restricted free agent, but did engage his camp in contract talks. Ultimately, Olszewski opted for a two-year, $4.2 million deal with the Steelers. In New England, he was named an All-Pro returner in 2020 and set a single-season franchise record for punt return average at 17.8 yards.
Last year, Olszewski’s average dipped under 12 yards. In his Steelers debut, he ripped off a 20-yard return last week at Cincinnati.
Meanwhile, the Pats have since replaced him with third-year defensive back Myles Bryant.