New England Patriots: 6 July Thoughts

Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

Brady likes having a running back he can throw to. In Super Bowl XXXVI, it was J.R. Redmond, and in Super Bowl XLIX, it was Shane Vereen. But now that Vereen is gone, who will step-up and fill that receiving role in the backfield?

Fresh off the plane from New Orleans, free agent addition Travaris Cadet could be the guy for the job. Sean Payton raved to the Boston Herald a few months back about Cadet’s receiving ability, even saying that the Appalachian State product sat in on wide receiver meetings with the Saints when he was a rookie.

At 6-foot-1, Cadet offers height out of the backfield that Brady didn’t have with Vereen. Now, Brady can loft passes a little bit higher when a linebacker is covering Cadet.

But the job is not guaranteed to be Cadet’s. MassLive.com’s Kevin Duffy noted that in OTAs last month, Josh McDaniels also worked with Dion Lewis, Brandon Bolden and James White on route-running drills. White stood out from the group, hauling in multiple impressive sideline receptions.

Vereen’s 52 receptions last year accounted for nearly 15 percent of the team total, so filling his vacancy will be a top priority in training camp.