New England Patriots: Rex Burkhead the favorite for goal-line work
Rex Burkhead looks to be the early favorite for goal-line work for the New England Patriots.
The New England Patriots running back depth chart will look a little different in 2018. Last season’s leading rusher, Dion Lewis, is now with the Tennessee Titans. While their leading rusher from 2017 is no longer with the team, New England made plenty of moves to make sure they don’t miss a beat.
The team was able to re-sign Rex Burkhead in free agency. They also added Jeremy Hill, formerly of the Cincinnati Bengals. A first-round pick was also used on Georgia running back, Sony Michel. Power back, Mike Gillislee, is also on the roster still along with pass-catching specialist, James White.
The Patriots have more than enough talent to replace what they are losing in Lewis. Finding touches for all of them will be a tougher thing for offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels to figure out.
All of the running backs on the depth chart bring something useful to the table. However, there will be other factors in play here as well. Michel isn’t going to ride the pine after being selected in the first round. Burkhead signed a new deal, so you aren’t going to keep him on the bench. White is locked into passing down work.
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One area that could be open to competition is as the goal-line back. Gillislee filled that role the first few weeks of 2017 before being removed from the rotation altogether. Hill has some size as well. Those two players could very well be competing for one roster spot.
However, in the early going, it sounds like Burkhead is the leader for goal-line work. Mike Reiss of ESPN was asked during his mailbag about the goal-line back. He believes Michel has some work to do before taking over the role, which he believes is Burkhead’s right now.
"It is always a challenge to project, but I’ll go with an early “no” with Michel as the goal-line back. My thinking is based on two things: Rex Burkhead filled that role at times last year, so he’d be more likely to get the initial nod over Michel, who had 12 fumbles in college and might need to prove himself from a ball-security standpoint before the team gives him that responsibility. Also, Mike Gillislee and Jeremy Hill are other capable options to consider, as it was Gillislee who opened camp last year as the top guy before losing the spot about a quarter of the way through the season."
This will be something to keep an eye on as training camp rolls around. Fantasy football players will want to know who they should be counting on, but fans of the team also like to be in the know.
Burkhead is a good bet now, but his injury concerns make it likely other people will get a shot. Depending on the role that Michel has to start the season, he could see some goal-line work at some point in the season.
Next: Patriots 53-Man Roster Prediction: Running Backs
The battle between Hill and Gillislee will be one to keep an eye on. One of them could emerge as a short-yardage and goal-line back once the preseason games are rolling around. Until then, it looks like Burkhead is the guy to get that work.