New England Patriots Sign RB LeGarrette Blount To 2-Year Contract

According to Josina Anderson and Aaron Wilson, the New England Patriots have signed running back LeGarrette Blount to a two-year contract. Blount was released by the Steelers on Tuesday, and the speculation of a return to New England began almost immediately.

Yesterday I gave a few reasons why the Patriots should not bring back Blount, but as usual, I was wrong. I still don’t think the Pats should have done it, but now that the deed is done, I might as well convince myself it was a good move.

First off, the contract seems like it is a favorable one. The Patriots won’ be shelling out a ton of money, and they are giving Blount a chance to prove himself with all of the incentives. This also shows Blount really wants to be a Patriot again, as this time around money wasn’t an issue. This also gives the Patriots some excellent depth in the backfield, and not only good depth, but good, BIG depth.

The combination of Jonas Gray and Blount will be scary for opposing defenses, especially if Blount can get back to the level he was playing at before he left in 2013. If the Pats can just pound the opposition on the ground, that will open up even more opportunities for Tom Brady in the passing game.

For next year, this puts Blount, Gray, James White, and Tyler Gaffney under contract for the Pats next year at running back. That is great depth, which doesn’t make re-signing Stevan Ridley or Shane Vereen a necessity.

Update: Per Mike Reiss, the Patriots have released defensive lineman Casey Walker to make room for Blount. This makes sense, given that Sealver Siliga, a top run stopping tackle, is eligible to return from the short-term IR.