Patriots Rumors: Dion Lewis won’t be traded prior to deadline
New England Patriots Rumors: Running back Dion Lewis will not be on the move prior to Tuesday’s NFL Trade Deadline.
New England Patriots rumors have picked up in recent days with the NFL Trade Deadline quickly approaching. Tuesday, 4 pm ET is the deadline to make a trade in the NFL, and it is a time the Patriots have made moves previously.
We have seen in the past the Patriots make moves, trading away players with pending contract extensions. For example, the Patriots traded Jamie Collins to the Cleveland Browns last season. This season, it looked like it could happen again.
Coming into the season, Dion Lewis was not a lock to make the roster. The Patriots added Mike Gillislee and Rex Burkhead to their backfield, which already included James White.
With LeGarrette Blount leaving as a free agent, many people thought Lewis would be out the door behind him.
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Lewis would make the regular season roster, and it was a good thing he did. Burkhead missed multiple weeks with an injury, while Gillislee has been ineffective in recent weeks, not scoring a touchdown since Week 2.
In that time span, Lewis has seen his role expand in the offense. He has been the lead dog in the Patriots backfield in four consecutive games, taking over the early down work. However, that has not stopped teams from inquiring about Lewis’ availability.
With all their running backs now healthy, it makes sense to ask about Lewis. He was close to being cut prior to the regular season, so asking if he could be acquired in a trade can’t hurt. According to Michael Lombardi of The Ringer, teams have asked about Lewis leading up to the trade deadline, but he will not be going anywhere.
Hearing several teams trying to get Dion Lewis from the Pats---wont happen.
— Michael Lombardi (@mlombardiNFL) October 30, 2017
This should come as no surprise to anyone that has watched the Patriots in recent weeks. Since their Week 4 matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday Night Football, Lewis has put his stamp on the backfield as the lead back.
Lewis has seen his touches increase in four consecutive weeks, as Bill Belichick is clearly comfortable with him handling the bulk of the carries in the backfield. He has shown in the past that he can be the lead back and has the versatility to also be a threat as a pass catcher out of the backfield.
With all of their running backs healthy, the Patriots have an advantage offensively. They can mix and match them all, even pairing them together in some packages. That kind of versatility gives the Patriots an edge, one they would lose by trading away Lewis.
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If the Patriots didn’t trade Lewis in the preseason, there is no reason for them to do it now with him earning a role in their offense.