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New England Patriots: Evaluating running backs for team in 2020

By Michael DeVito

FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS - DECEMBER 21: James White #28 of the New England Patriots runs with the ball during the second half against the Buffalo Bills in the game at Gillette Stadium on December 21, 2019 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Billie Weiss/Getty Images)
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS - DECEMBER 21: James White #28 of the New England Patriots runs with the ball during the second half against the Buffalo Bills in the game at Gillette Stadium on December 21, 2019 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Billie Weiss/Getty Images) /
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Evaluating the 2020 New England Patriots running backs for 2020.

It is being speculated that the New England Patriots will be relying on their running game in 2020 as a mechanism to attempt to make up for the loss of all-time great Tom Brady. It’s as good an approach as any at this point, since their draft failed to address any offensive skill position except tight end, and those choices were iffy.

Not addressing the poor wide receiver situation is almost unfathomable. Peter King said that he was mystified by the Patriots draft and specifically that they didn’t address the wide receiver position. King also said the draft was weird. King is right.

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Trying to decipher the Patriots draft strategy is well mystifying! I’ve been trying for, let’s say … a long time. Just don’t even bother.

If they are planning to use the running game to win games, let’s evaluate what they have going for them. The running backs begin (and end??) with their best, James White.

White is one of the Patriots’ best receiving backs ever. And they have had some good ones. Recently, Kevin Faulk and Shane Vereen come readily to mind, but White is the best of all of them.

Although short in stature, White has delivered big time in the biggest games and in most of the others, as well, for the New England Patriots. Including to the TD to win the Super Bowl in the greatest comeback of all-time against Atlanta. He’s one of their most valuable players, not only offensive players, all players.

The other New England Patriots’ running backs

Next in line would be Sony Michel. Michel was a first-round pick (one of two taken in 2018 as the Patriots passed twice on the terrific Lamar Jackson who went later to Baltimore.

I would have taken him. Why didn’t the New England patriots take him? They messed up a chance to set themselves up at quarterback for the future of the NFL and passed. A bad decision.

Michael has been a decent back since he joined the team in 2018, but that”s all. Just decent. He’s had injury problems as he had at Georgia also. All-in-all, the New England Patriots should have taken his running mate from Georgia, Nick Chubb.

Chubb is just a better player. Again, they missed on a draft pick. This time a first-rounder and passed up Lamar Jackson to-boot. This is just bad personnel management and drafting

Next up is Rex Burkhead. Burkhead is a decent all-around back. A pretty good runner. He can catch it a bit.

But he’s injury prone and you can count on his being out for a good chunk of every season.  That adds up to just another decent but not good running back.

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And Brandon Bolden is really just a special teamer now, except when he burned the Patriots on a long TD run in  2018 while with Miami.

The retirement of great fullback, James Develin was a big loss to the Patriots entire offense. Dev made the offense go.

He and Gronk were like two additional offensive linemen when it was time to run in 2018 and earlier. He can’t be replaced easily. But they did actually sign a guy who will be a nice addition. It’s Danny Vitale who came over from Green Bay as a free agent.

Danny is a very nice addition. The Patriots must have had an inkling that Dev might not return. A neck injury for a fullback is serious.

Vitale was a nice pickup. He can do a lot on a football field. He can run a bit if given the chance. He didn’t get it at Green Bay. And he can catch it. Let’s see how his blocking is. But overall, I really like this free-agent signing.

That leads to the last possible guy in the running back room. It’s undrafted free agent J.J. Taylor.  Taylor is possibly a nice pickup for the New England Patriots. He is a big hitter in a small back’s body.

But he may just be the short-yardage back the Patriots need. They had none last season and it cost them big time.

Pros and cons of signing Andy Dalton. dark. Next

That’s the running back room at present. Absent James White, it’s just OK. Maybe Taylor can give them the spark they need. We’ll see. But at present, I give the position a B-. And James White is the biggest reason for getting into the B’s.

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