The Washington Commanders received good news at wide receiver last week when Terry McLaurin agreed to a new three-year extension. After agreeing to terms with McLaurin, Washington trimmed its roster down to 53 players, keeping only five wide receivers.

Considering the Commanders‘ depth at receiver beyond McLaurin and Deebo Samuel, it was somewhat of a surprise. Noah Brown has dealt with an injury all summer, and while he’ll likely be ready for Week 1, there are injury concerns. Fourth-round rookie Jaylin Lane and 2024 third-round pick Luke McCaffrey were Washington’s other two receivers on the 53-man roster.

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Lane is a promising rookie, while the Commanders are still waiting for McCaffrey to emerge. So, it made sense for Washington to explore adding an available veteran. Fortunately for the Commanders, the New England Patriots surprisingly released wide receiver Kendrick Bourne. The 6-foot-1, 205-pound Bourne has ties to Washington GM Adam Peters. Peters was in San Francisco’s front office the first four years of Bourne’s career with the 49ers. He signed with the Patriots ahead of the 2021 season. Boune was also teammates with Samuel for two seasons.

Bourne quickly lined up two visits: with the 49ers (Monday) and the Commanders (Tuesday). Via his Instagram, Bourne is already headed to Northern Virginia for his Tuesday visit.

In eight NFL seasons, Bourne has 292 receptions for 3,714 yards, averaging 12.7 yards per reception with 22 touchdowns.

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The good news for Washington is that Bourne made it to town for the visit. He left the 49ers without signing, which gives the Commanders a chance to add him to their wide receivers corps. Ian Rapoport initially reported that both teams had established the framework of a deal with Bourne before his visits.

If two teams are interested, you have to like the odds of the team with the last visit.

If signed, Bourne would likely compete for snaps almost immediately.

This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Commanders’ free-agent visit could bring good news