By John Sarianides
The Patriots revamped the running back position this off-season adding veterans Rex Burkhead and Mike Gillislee to a group that includes James White, Dion Lewis and D.J Foster.
The Patriots like to rotate their running backs and they use them in a variety of ways depending on the opponent and the game plan.
It will be interesting to see how Burkhead and Gillislee fit into this crowded backfield. Gillislee has the size to be the first down and short yardage running back. Burkhead can play in all situations.
Here is our running back preview.
Mike Gillislee, 5-11 208, Florida, 5th Season: Gillislee signed a two year deal in April. He replaces LeGarrette Blount as the lead back in the Patriots offense. Gillislee isn’t as big as Blount but he runs hard inside the tackles and has better feet than Blount.
Gillislee is also a better receiver out of the backfield and he can play in all situations. He is a three down back. I think we will see Gillislee on the field more on third down than we think.
Gillislee will be the primary running back in 21 and 22 personnel. The Patriots will also use him a lot in 23 personnel or in goal line situations.
Rex Burkhead, 5-10 214, Nebraska, 5th Season: Burkhead is a bigger back than people think. The perception is, he is a third down back. He is not. Burkhead has the body type and talent to be an every down back in the Patriots offense.
Burkhead is very similar to Gillislee but he is a better receiver out of the back field. Burkhead doesn’t run with as much power as Gillislee inside the tackles but he pushes the pile enough that he could get consistent carries on first down and short yardage situations.
It will be interesting to see how the Patriots use Burkhead this season. He will be a jack of all trades for them.
James White, 5-9 204, Wisconsin, 4th Season: We all know what White did in Super Bowl LI and as a result of his performance, he earned a three year contract extension this off-season.
White is the unquestioned third down back on this team and has become this team’s version of Kevin Faulk because he is effective as receiver and running inside the tackles out of shotgun.
White has developed into one of the best receiving backs in the league and is a match up nightmare for defensive coordinators. The Patriots will continue to generate different match ups by deploying him in a variety of ways.
Dion Lewis, 5-7 193, Pitt, 6th Season: It will be interesting to see how Lewis fits into this crowded backfield. The diminutive scat back primarily serves as a third down back and kick returner. James White has a stranglehold on the third down role is Lewis may be primarily used as a kick returner.
I don’t think Lewis is a lock to make this roster. The Patriots like having depth at running back but realistically speaking, you can only really carry four of them going into a game. That means Gillislee, Burkhead, White and a fullback are locks. Where does Lewis fit in? Time will tell.
Brandon Bolden, 5-11 215, Ole Miss, 6th Season: Bolden is a Belichick favorite because of his contributions on special teams and his ability to carry the ball in a pinch.
Despite that, Bolden is a bubble player in my opinion. Belichick and his staff will have to decide how much they value what Bolden versus what Dion Lewis brings to the table. All things being equal, I take Lewis because he can play a bigger role in the offense and return kicks.
D.J Foster, 5-10 193, Arizona State, 2nd Season: The Patriots like Foster and his running style but let’s face it, Foster will not make the roster unless one of the backs in front of him suffers an injury.
Foster will get touches in camp but the odds of him making the team are slim unless he ends up on the practice. Foster has to hope he can latch on elsewhere.
LeShun Daniels Jr. 5-11 225, Iowa, RK: Daniels is a big back who runs north, south and is capable of making a good hard cut and accelerating into the second level. Despite that, he really has no chance at making the roster. He has to have a good camp and hope he catches on with someone else.
James Devlin, 6-3 260, Brown, 5th Season: Another Belichick Favorite. Devlin plays on all the special teams and is a part of the 21, 22 and 23 personnel packages. He will make this team.
Glenn Gronkowski, 6-2 239, Kansas State, 2nd Season: Baby Gronk will have to beat out James Devlin to make the roster and I don’t see that happening unless he proves he can do more offensively than Devlin.