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Wednesday, May 10, 2023

Expect A Heavy Roster Battle Coming Behind Stevenson In New England.

The New England Patriots currently have six running backs on the roster. The Patriots like to keep three running backs on the roster, four if the guy has special teams value. Since none of the others have the versatility of Brandon Bolden, which of the five are going to make the roster behind Stevenson?

The media has been calling for the Patriots to sign one of the remaining high priced names on the market. I'm against the Idea but it's not impossible that the Patriots do so. Until they do, I'm not giving it merit.

My thoughts on J.J. Taylor and Ty Montgomery haven't changed. I still view both as practice squad guys. And the Patriots apparently don't think much of Montgomery as they list him as a receiver on their website.

In 2022, the Patriots drafted Kevin Harris, a power back and Pierre Strong Jr. At the time, many thought Harris was drafted to replace Damian Harris, while Strong was to replace White. While Stevenson got to show he's capable of being a three down back, the rookies didn't get to show much. 

The Patriots signed James Robinson this offseason. Many thought he was being brought in strictly to be a power back to replace Damian Harris. However, although he didn't get a lot of playing time in 2022, he did in the previous two seasons. 

His first two seasons, he caught 80 of 106 targets for 566 yards with 24 first downs and 3 touchdowns. In 2022, he caught 11 of 14 passes for 5 first downs and 2 touchdowns. 

Robinson is a three down back. With his skill set, neither Strong or Harris is a roster lock. Currently of the three, Strong projects as the safest cut to the practice squad. That could change come the end of August. So expect a heavy competition with five of the six backs being on the bubble.

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