New England Patriots Positional Breakdown: Running Backs
By Cyrus Geller
(This is the second entry in our ‘positional breakdown’ feature going through the New England Patriots roster. Next up is the running backs)
Roster: LeGarrette Blount, James White, Travaris Cadet, Brandon Bolden, Tyler Gaffney, Jonas Gray
The running back position is looking pretty interesting for the Patriots right now, as they have a multitude of players that can fit a variety of different roles. They have the bruisers in Blount and Gray, the change of pace guys in White, Gaffney, and Cadet, and the special teams ace in Bolden. There is no star, but the Pats have a lot of talent to work with, and I think they will be productive as a group in 2015.
You can never pinpoint a “starter” in the Patriots’ offensive system, but you can nail down certain roles each player will have, and for now, I think it’s pretty obvious where everything stand before training camp begins. We have the main bruiser in Blount, Cadet will likely handle the third down passing back duties, while Gray, White, and Gaffney will all be given a chance to earn some playing time as the season progresses.
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But as it sits right now, I don’t see why Blount and Cadet won’t be the top guys to start the season. They have both proven that they can produce in the NFL, and assuming Cadet can pick up the Pats’ playbook, he should flourish under this system. It doesn’t matter who has been plugged into the third down role in Foxboro, they have always produced. From Kevin Faulk, to Danny Woodhead, to Shane Vereen, New England always finds solid change of pace backs, and things will likely be the same next year.
This situation could definitely change after training camp, as Gaffney, Gray, or James White could play their way to the top of the depth chart, but right now, I see Blount and Cadet as the starters. We’ll see how things play out going forward.