Why Keene Should Be In Competition With White For A Roster Spot.

The Patriots have two players returning from injury that may be in competition with each other. James White is returning from a hip injury and may not be ready to go week one. Keene is coming off a meniscus injury but is expected to be a go for camp. One might not think they are in competition but with Keene being an H-back which is a glorified running back - tight end hybrid. And the Patriots getting rid of Jacob Johnson, I assure you that Keene could be out for the third down receiving back role.

Why does it make sense for Keene to replace White or at least take his spot on the roster?

Yes, the Patriots just drafted two running backs but Kevin Harris is coming off back surgery and is likely to be stashed on the injured reserve. The Patriots also like to carry four running backs and a fullback. Brandon Bolden is with the Raiders. And with Jacob Johnson gone and no fullback on the roster, that makes Keene a prime candidate to sneak on to the roster. Plus the Patriots spent a third round pick on Keene and have yet to really see what he can do and he has to know his clock is ticking.

On top of all that James White has missed 16 games over the past two seasons and is 30 years old coming off a major injury. That's normally the age backs start leaving the league. If White is not able to go come August, the Patriots will be left with placing him on the injured reserve early, hanging on to him so they can place him on I.R. and cutting a player and risk losing them, or straight out cutting White.

The likely hood of both Jonnu Smith and Dalton Keene taking over the third down pass catching back role on top of the fullback role, since they're both H-backs, just makes sense. And has to be a strong possibility.

We all know what a healthy White brings but what about Keene?

Here's what Lance Zierlein and Evan Lazar wrote about Keene in his scouting report. 

Zierlein wrote, "Swiss Army Knife versatility performing in-line, as a wingback, from the slot, as a fullback, and even as a personal protector in pass protection. He's lean but well-defined and his play speed and competitiveness are both a plus. He will struggle against NFL power at the point of attack, but his ability to block in space and catch the football make him naturally suited for the H-back role, where teams can align him around the formation as needed. He should fit into a core special teams role even though he is surprisingly inexperienced in that area. He has the make-it-in-the-league play traits and mental makeup of a Day 3 target."

Lazar wrote, "Keene’s athleticism, versatility, and tenacity as a blocker are why the Pats traded up to select him at the end of the third round. But he’s in for a big transition from a very different scheme at Virginia Tech to New England. Keene will need to learn a more expansive downfield route tree to go along with different blocking alignments and angles. Still, his college tape shows a capable receiver and YAC machine that’s truly gifted as a ball carrier in the open field. There are a few technical issues with his blocking, such as ducking his head into contact, but he gives all-out effort with plenty of functional strength to develop into an impact run blocker. Plus, he can move around the formation, playing both in-line tight end, H-Back, and fullback. Keene might take some time to learn the Pats playbook’s nuances, but he has all the tools to blossom into a difference-maker in short order."

Why does it make sense to think the Patriots may keep Keene.

First the Patriots are expected to use Jonnu Smith more in the offense. There's not a lot of difference in the abilities of Keene and Smith. Having Keene to give Smith breathers means the Patriots don't have to get away from what they want to do if Smith goes down. 

Bernd Buchmasser wrote, "The Patriots primarily used Smith as a traditional in-line tight end on either the left or the right end of the line during the 2021 season, but he was moved into the backfield on occasion as well. In total, 19 of his 547 offensive snaps came as either a lead blocker in I-formation looks or in a halfback alignment."

On top of that looking at the offensive linemen and backs that the Patriots drafted, they're more than likely switching to a stretch zone scheme. Which is something believed the Patriots were interested in going to in 2020 but injuries and covid derailed the opportunity to bring it in.

What is a stretch zone? 

Nepatriotslife.com wrote, "Stretch zone is a run blocking concept in which the entire offensive line fires out in the same direction, with each lineman essentially responsible for blocking the "next" defender in their path. It is the running backs job to follow the flow of the line, while looking for gaps to explode and cut back against the grain through. The phrase "one cut and go" became a staple to describe this running style, which famously produced 1,000 yard rusher after 1,000 yard rusher in Denver for Shanahan long after Hall of Famer's John Elway and Terrell Davis retired. Here's a modern example of a outside zone play, demonstrated by the 2018 Rams and Todd Gurley.

With defenses forced to flow accordingly to stop those zone runs, Shanahan and Kubiak built a passing game around the natural gravitational pull of their rushing attack. Using the running game to suck defenders onto one side of the field was a great trick to create open space on the backside to exploit in the passing game. The classic Kubiak play became a fake zone stretch in one direction, with the quarterback rolling out in the opposite direction, away from the defenders following the run fake."

The stretch zone scheme allows for multiple formations from a spread all the way to a jumbo set. It gives the Patriots a lot of options and both Smith and Keene are ideal players for such an offense. The only problem may just be who's calling the plays on offense, Judge, Patricia, Caley, Belichick, Hoyer?

Overall thoughts

Keene has a good chance of making the roster and with how things are shaping out, James White may not be on the roster come week one. Keene has versatility and if he sits behind Smith, the Patriots can find a way to use him somewhere on the offense. Being that this is Keene’s third season in the NFL, Keene has to know that if he doesn't perform in at least the preseason, that his time in the NFL may be done come the September cut down. That should fire up Keene and push both him and White to be a go during August.