Patriots running backs coach Ivan Fears said the search for which player is the best fit for power runner job will be one of the things on tap during training camp.
“Somebody’s got to play big for us,” Fears said, via the team’s website. “We have enough guys who can play finesse football. Somebody’s got to play power football for us so we have to find out who’s going to do that. I think a lot of those guys are capable of that. Freakin’ James White ran the power offense when he was at Wisconsin so, what are we talking about? But he’s got to do it for us here. Not just him, but whether it’s Mike Gillislee, whether it’s Rex Burkhead or Brandon Bolden … somebody’s got to step up and be the big back when we need one and all those roles that come up in the game we have to find somebody to fit those roles, and I think we will.”
Related players: Mike Gillislee, Rex Burkhead, Dion Lewis, James White
None of the backs have Blount’s size, but they will be working behind a good offensive line and in an offense with enough threats that defenses will have a hard time selling out against any one option. We think Gillislee is the favorite at this point, but you just never know with the Patriots run game.
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