NFL Rumors: Patriots' Dion Lewis Garnering Trade Interest From Multiple Teams

Could the New England Patriots use their wealth of running back talent to acquire help at another position? It’s certainly possible.

The Patriots have received numerous calls regarding potential trades for running back Dion Lewis, Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald reported Saturday morning.

“Multiple squads reached (out) during the offseason, including as recently as the past week, to express their interest in Dion Lewis, according to sources,” Howe wrote.

“The Patriots haven’t been willing to bite on these conversations, though it seems possible their tenor could change by the Oct. 31 trade deadline. It’s necessary to point out the Pats haven’t been shopping Lewis, but other teams are the ones making the calls.”

Lewis had the lightest workload of any of the Patriots’ top four backs in Week 1, playing just six offensive snaps in Thursday’s 42-27 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. He carried the ball twice for nine yards and was not targeted in the passing game.

Rex Burkhead (10 snaps), also was used sparingly, finishing with three carries for 15 yards and one catch for eight yards. James White (43 snaps) saw the most playing time, rushing 10 times for 38 yards and catching three balls for 30 yards, and Mike Gillislee (24 snaps) was the most productive rusher, doing so 15 times for 45 yards with three touchdowns in his Patriots debut.

Lewis played in seven games last season after returning from ACL surgery, tallying 64 carries for 283 yards and 36 catches for 388 yards with two touchdowns. The 26-year-old also scored three touchdowns in New England’s divisional-round playoff win over the Houston Texans — one rushing, one receiving and one on a kickoff return.

The Patriots currently are light at wide receiver, defensive end and linebacker.