New England Patriots: 3 reasons trading Dion Lewis could make sense

New England Patriots running back Dion Lewis hears the trade rumors, but will continue to do his job.

Trade rumors is a part of life for professional athletes and when you are a member of the New England Patriots, you can never rule out an unsuspected transaction.

Coming off a game in which he only saw six snaps, six-year running back Dion Lewis had to endure the noise of trade rumors almost immediately. As the rumors weren’t exactly new, Lewis admitted Wednesday that he was aware of other teams inquiring about him.

"“I see the same report you guys do,” Lewis said following Wednesday practice."

With the addition of Mike Gillislee, who saw the majority of snaps Thursday night, and the addition of Rex Burkhead, Lewis has saw his role on the team slip a bit.

Add in the emergence of James White and the running back out of Pittsburgh appears to be the odd man out. The Patriots would never admit that, but Lewis is aware and will just continue to work hard.

"“I’m a competitor, so I want to be out there,” Lewis said. “I just come here to work hard every day, that’s all I really can do. I can’t really control how much I play, that’s on the coaches. You have to ask them that.”"

Sounds like a player prepared for whatever comes his way. While, as a fan, I don’t want to see a player like Lewis traded. I also know Bill Belichick is going to do whatever he feels is best for the team and recognize the benefits of a possible trade.

Below are three reasons a trade of Dion Lewis would make sense.

The depth

This one is simple and the reason other teams are calling about Lewis.

The New England Patriots have depth at running back with Gillislee, Burkhead and White.

Sure, that could change with an injury or two, but for a team that doesn’t rely on the running game, the Patriots will find other ways or other players to fit into the offensive scheme.

Lewis is a dynamic player, but having him, along with White and Burkhead on the team adds redundancy as they can all do the same things. A luxury to have, but an offense that can survive without multiple pass catching running backs.

Questionable durability

With the injury history of Dion Lewis, there is no guarantee he will make it through the entire season healthy.

As good as he has looked with the Patriots, he has not played a full season with the team. A torn ACL took him out in Week 7 of the 2015 season and he did not return till the mid-way point of last season.

Fans really didn’t get to see the explosive Dion Lewis again until the latter part of 2016. He had a kickoff return in the AFC Divisional round game against the Houston Texans, along with a touchdown reception and a rushing touchdown in that same game.

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Finally, the Dion Lewis everyone grown to love was back. However, he pulled up with a limp in the final seconds of regulation play in Super Bowl LI, quickly reminding fans of how prone to injury he is.

Get something for him now

Dion Lewis is in the final year of his contract, so getting something for him now is the top reason a trade would make sense.

With the amount of depth the team has at running back, it is unlikely the team would bring Lewis back at his price. With other teams showing interest now, one of them may be willing to overpay in the offseason.

In that respect, getting something for him now, particularly a player who could help on defense is ideal. Maybe there is some linebacker out there a team would be willing to part with to obtain Lewis.

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Otherwise, trading Lewis for anything less than another player would not serve the team any purpose…for this season anyway.

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