FOXBORO, Mass. — The New England Patriots’ running back depth again will be tested in this Sunday’s regular-season finale at Gillette Stadium.
Knee injuries prevented Rex Burkhead and Mike Gillislee from participating in any of the team’s three practices this week, all but ensuring they will not suit up against the New York Jets. James White also was limited in practice after missing last Sunday’s win over the Buffalo Bills with an ankle injury, putting his status for Sunday into question.
The Patriots were without Burkhead and White against the Bills, so they leaned on Gillislee and, to a far greater extent, Dion Lewis, who amassed 153 yards from scrimmage on 29 touches and scored two touchdowns in a 36-17 victory.
New England could choose to give Lewis a similarly heavy workload against the Jets, but if they want to keep their top back fresh for the playoffs, they also could divert some of his carries to Brandon Bolden, who typically only sees the field on special teams.
Bolden’s four carries this season all have come in garbage time, but he was a legitimate offensive contributor once upon a time, averaging 50.5 rushing attempts per season over his first four years with the Patriots (2012 through 2015). The 27-year-old played five offensive snaps against Buffalo, carrying the ball twice for 20 yards.
“Brandon’s always been productive for us, both as a runner and a receiver,” Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. “He’s smart. He understands all of the plays — first down, second down, third down and, obviously, fourth down. He’s been a good four-down player for us, very dependable, durable, athletic, good size.”
Rounding out the Patriots’ backfield stable is Pro Bowl fullback James Develin, who practices with both the running backs and the tight ends. Develin has carried the ball just seven times since entering the league in 2013 but has caught 19 passes, including a career-high six this season.
“We meet together a lot as groups or as a team, so there’s a lot of carryover,” Belichick said. “So people understand what other people are doing a lot of times, especially with the fullback/tight end/running back area. A lot of those are the same job. It just depends on which personnel group we’re in and who does it. They’re all pretty familiar with a certain assignment, whichever one of them has to do it.”
The Patriots need a win or a Pittsburgh Steelers loss to the Cleveland Browns to clinch home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs.
