James White

But as Bill Belichick said Monday, the Patriots need to be careful when managing James White's work load. It's a long season and the last thing they can afford is to pile too much work onto their top remaining back.

"We have confidence in James," Belichick said. "He does everything well for us but we don't want to overload him but at the same time he's certainly capable of doing a significant amount for out football team in a lot of different ways. So, try to find a way for him to be productive without putting it all on his shoulders."

Related players: Sony Michel

How they use White will depend on the gameplan the story said. Michel could miss some time the piece seemed to indicate. It went on to say the Patriots will probably be best served by not trading for a running back. Instead, they're likely best off going after a guy like Mike Gillislee or Ralph Webb. They've also got practice squad running back Kenneth Farrow as an option.