It almost would have been easier on the New England Patriots if D.J. Foster didn’t look so good Friday in his preseason debut.
The running back carried the ball three times for 13 yards and caught three passes for 33 yards in limited reps. He showed a burst of quickness other healthy Patriots running backs don’t quite possess. And his speed, hands and agility certainly caught the eye of 31 other NFL teams.
Foster was a priority free agent coming out of the 2016 NFL Draft, and the running back had to make a quick decision to sign with the Patriots over other heavily interested teams — the Arizona Cardinals and Houston Texans among them. So, if the Patriots decided to waive Foster after the preseason in hopes of slipping him through to the practice squad, there’s at least a decent chance another team claims him onto its active roster.
The Patriots do have an open spot at running back because Dion Lewis is expected to begin the season on the physically unable to perform list after undergoing another surgery on his already repaired knee. James White is expected to fill in on third down, and LeGarrette Blount apparently will earn the early-down role. The Patriots also have Brandon Bolden, a special-teams ace who can play both on early downs and in the passing game.
The Patriots have shown more willingness to let Bolden take over the third-down role in the past, however. So it could make more sense to keep a player like Tyler Gaffney, an early-down back, over another third-down back — especially since Lewis is expected to return at some point.
Gaffney, who carried the ball nine times for 35 yards Friday, has been injured for two straight seasons, however, so it’s possible he could be easier to slip through waivers and onto the practice squad. Patriots head coach Bill Belichick hinted at this dilemma this week.
“From all of the personnel meetings I’ve ever been in it’s a (matter of) a player who’s more experienced (and) more ready to help the team now, versus a player that’s not as ready now but at some point you think the pendulum will swing in his favor,” Belichick said Tuesday. “Will you do that? Can you do that? What are the consequences of making that move? What are the consequences of not making that move? How likely, as you said, is it that you could keep both players in some capacity?”
The decision between Gaffney and Foster for the 53-man roster could very well come down to whom the Patriots believe they can slip through waivers and onto the practice squad and who they can’t.
Gaffney already was waived once this offseason and went unclaimed, though it came before he had ever received an NFL snap. He now has 130 yards and a touchdown on 29 carries and five catches for 18 yards in three preseason games.
Gaffney continues to look better and better with more carries he receives, but Foster was undoubtedly flashier, and he could be a sexier to other NFL teams, since he’s younger, less surgically repaired and newer to the scene.
Unless the Patriots make a trade, either Foster or Gaffney is likely making the 53-man roster. It won’t be an easy decision.
Thumbnail photo via Winslow Townson/USA TODAY Sports Images
