Brian Mazique of the Heavy reported that Mitchell Hansen of NFL spin zone had suggested that the Patriots actually let superbowl hero and long time third down back James White, walk away. Hansen even goes as far as to say the Patriots should consider walking away from utility back Rex Burkhead.
Mazique quoted Hansen of saying, "This offseason, there are a few players among that rushing group that is set to hit free agency, and one thing the patriots should do is let White — and potentially Burkhead — walk while turning the ground game over to Harris, Michel, and company in 2021. White, who turns 29 years old in February, is a talented running back but has increasingly become more one-dimensional over the last year or two in Foxborough. As a running back, White catches more passes out of the backfield while the other players have mainly handled the ground game. In order to improve things offensively, New England should focus on bringing in receivers this offseason while handing the rushing duties to Harris and Michel who had good seasons in 2020. The money that would be used to retain White could be better utilized by bringing in a wide receiver or tight end (or both) this offseason either via free agency, the trade market, or the NFL Draft."
Burkhead made $2.9 Million in 2020. He will be 31 before the season starts. He is productive but often injured. Over his four years in New England, Burkhead has missed 23 of 64 games. Including 6 in 2020.
James White made $4.5 Million in 2020. White is the Patriots third down back, he's been under utilized in the run game. However he was never the same after his family tragedy 2020 that saw the loss of his father and left his mother hospitalized. White will turn 29 in February and this may be his last chance to get paid.
Both men could and should be asking for around a $3 million dollar raise. Even if either of then were willing to play for the same money as in 2020, they're both expensive. Plus the Patriots have Brandon Bolden returning, whom everyone seems to of forgot just how excited we were to see him sprinkled in, after the 2019 season. Bolden is a poor man's version of Rex Burkhead, with the bonus that he excels on special teams.
On top of Bolden, the team signed J.J. Taylor through 2022; making less than $1 million in both 2021 and 2022. Before having his thunder stolen by Burkhead and getting pushed down the roster, Taylor was the spark plug for the Patriots. Averaging 4.8 yards per carry. In the second game against Buffalo, the Bills never quit and Taylor still averaged over 6 yards a carry against the 17th ranked run defense.
Mazique goes on to say, "There is no reason to bring both White and Burkhead back, but I’d argue subtracting both men–who are well-liked in the locker room–would be a little too much from a chemistry and depth standpoint."
The Patriots are no strangers to moving on from popular locker room guys. In 2020 the Patriots saw a more empathetic Bill Belichick. One line of thinking was that Bill kept Cam starting to keep calm in the locker room. The Patriots seemed unprepared multiple times during 2020 and Belichick seemed to let players slide with mistakes.
Belichick in 2021 needs to get back to being the hard nosed businessman everyone has known for the last 20 years. Belichick is the guy who got rid of Milloy. He cannot keep guys around just because they're popular. If Belichick was more hard nosed in 2020, maybe the Patriots could've won ten games.
The Patriots do not need to bring back either of these players, while having Taylor, Bolden, Michel, and Harris on the roster. Doing so just for leadership runs just as much of a chance of hurting the team as them being allowed to walk. The pre 2020 Belichick could handle this decision but do we have the confidence in post 2020 Belichick to separate emotion from business?
No comments:
Post a Comment