In an ideal world, veteran wide receiver Kendrick Bourne would have at least a couple of weeks to reacclimate himself to San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan's offense, which is admittedly different than the last time the former New England Patriots pass catcher was last in Santa Clara.
Bourne, whom the Niners signed this week to help alleviate their growing list of injured players, spent 2017 through 2020 under Shanahan's tutelage, turning that successful four-year tenure into a solid free-agent deal with the Pats in 2021.
Interestingly enough, that's the same year now-San Francisco quarterback Mac Jones was drafted at No. 15 overall by New England.
Jones is now poised to start for Shanahan and the 49ers for at least a week, maybe more, in light of starting quarterback Brock Purdy's toe injury suffered in Week 1's victory over the Seattle Seahawks. While Jones had the benefit of spending all offseason, training camp and the preseason working with the Niners offense, Bourne's return and acclimation is extremely expedited.
So, it might be beneficial for Jones to lean on that chemistry with Bourne to help the latter along the way.
Mac Jones will be vital in helping Kendrick Bourne adjust back to 49ers
Bourne's best season as a pro came back during Jones' first year in the league, 2021, which resulted in 800 receiving yards and five touchdowns over 17 games played.
Granted, the offensive systems were entirely different, but that doesn't mean the chemistry completely evaporated with different uniforms.
Even Bourne shared how Jones is already playing a role in getting the receiver up to speed.
“He’s been helping me get acclimated," Bourne said of Jones, via Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area. "Just studying with him, he’s been giving me tips, gems of how to think about things. It’s dope to be around someone I know and using it to my advantage to get acclimated."
San Francisco's top wide receiver, Brandon Aiyuk, isn't likely to return from last year's ACL and MCL tears until at least Week 6, while fellow wideout Demarcus Robinson is only one game into a three-game suspension for a 2024 DUI. All-Pro tight end George Kittle (hamstring) is on injured reserve for at least the next four weeks, leaving second-year pro Ricky Pearsall as arguably the lone pass-catching option at Jones' disposal with any name recognition.
In that light, Bourne suddenly emerges as a key go-to option for the No. 2 quarterback, and both will likely need to lean on their experience together in New England to generate some newfound success in the Bay Area.