FOXBORO, Mass. — Brandon Bolden is a veteran of the New England Patriots’ running back corps after the offseason departures of Stevan Ridley and Shane Vereen.
As a versatile player, Bolden should feature in plenty of different roles, whether it’s in the running game, passing attack or special teams.
“He plays on all four downs,” Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said of Bolden after Wednesday’s minicamp practice at Gillette Stadium. “He’s a good early down back, he’s a good third-down back and he’s a good fourth-down back. (He’s) one of our best special teams players, certainly one of our best offensive special teams players, along with (Matthew) Slater.
“So, yeah, he’s a very valuable guy, fills a lot of roles, smart, doesn’t need a lot of reps, and he’s got a lot of experience.”
Bolden, who’s entering his fourth NFL season, played in 16 games last year, but he carried the ball just 28 times for 89 yards and one touchdown. He should play a larger role in the offense this season, though, and could battle LeGarrette Blount for the No. 1 job and goal-line carries.
Despite the roster turnover and competition amongst the running backs, Bolden says it’s still a close-knit group.
“Just a few name changes, but the core of the group didn’t go anywhere,” Bolden said. “Guys from last year are still around. The new guys picked up right where everybody left off. So yeah, we’re still a pretty close group.”
Thumbnail photo via Lenny Ignelzi/Associated Press
