LeGarrette Blount injury: ramifications

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

2. Brandon Bolden could see more carries.

A Bill Belichick Patriot if there ever was one, Bolden is used more as a special teams ace than as a ball carrier. That being said, he wouldn’t have stuck around in New England for over four years if he didn’t have solid rushing ability.

Worth noting is Bolden’s stat lines from his first two seasons. As a rookie in 2012, the Ole Miss product posted 274 yard and two touchdowns on 56 attempts. The following year was nearly identical, as Bolden churned out 271 yard and three scores on 55 carries.

Those first two seasons of decent rushing output indicate that Bolden can handle a minor role in the ground game without taking away from his special teams prowess. However, his next-to-nothing contributions as a running back last year are hard to ignore, as he tallied just 89 yards and a touchdown on 28 attempts.

The possibility of the Patriots enduring the first week or more of the regular season with barely any returning backfield veterans could mean that Bolden hears his name called in the huddle more often. If he can channel his 2012 and 2013 form, in which he average nearly five yards per carry in both seasons, then Bolden will definitely see a lion’s share of the workload with Blount on the sideline.

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