Which Patriots Running Back Takes Over For Rex Burkhead?

With the departure of running back Rex Burkhead, who signed with the Houston Texans earlier this month, the Patriots have a hole at running back. When Burkhead was healthy and on the football field, he was a very versatile player.

After coming to New England as a free agent from the Cincinnati Bengals, Burkhead rushed for 1,026 yards and three touchdowns. He also caught 96 passes for 856 yards and seven touchdowns during his four years in Foxborough. Burkhead was the type of player who ran hard and did whatever Bill Belichick asked of him. Whether it was catching passes out of the backfield, running the football, playing on special teams, or being a goal-line presence, he was a key contributor on offense.

So the big question is, who takes those reps? The team currently has seven running backs under contract: James White, Damien Harris, Sony Michel, J.J. Taylor, rookie Rhamondre Stevenson, Brandon Bolden, and Tyler Gaffney.

The Patriots typically keep four running backs on their initial 53-man roster. They’ve done so in five of their last eight seasons dating back to 2013. For example, in 2013, the Patriots kept Stevan Ridley, Shane Vereen, LeGarrette Blount, and Brandon Bolden. And just last year in 2020, the Patriots kept Damien Harris, Sony Michel, Rex Burkhead, and James White. Injuries allowed J.J. Taylor to see some action as well.

Damien Harris

In 2021, Harris is expected to be the lead back. He is expected to see a majority of his snaps as the early-down option. The biggest question is if he can stay healthy. Last season he landed on injured reserve twice. First, Harris missed the first three games of the season because he broke his finger and needed surgery. Next, he suffered an ankle injury which forced him to sit out the final three games of the season.

Even though his injuries limited him to just 10 games, he still finished as the team’s most productive ball-carrier. Harris will look to build off last year’s success and possibly have a breakout season. It wouldn’t be shocking at all if Harris rushed for over 1000 yards.

Sony Michel

Michel is an interesting player heading into the 2021 season because he has something to prove. Regrettably for Michel, the writing appears to be on the wall. The Patriots didn’t pick up the fifth-year option from his rookie deal. When Michel was healthy last year, he did form an imposing one-two punch in the backfield with Harris. The problem is Michel was not reliable last season. In fact, he only started six games and played a total of nine games. Surely Michel could have a bounce-back season, but with a crowded backfield, and injury history, Michel is pretty much playing for his job.

James White

White should still be considered a lock to make the roster after re-signing with the team in the offseason. He is a team captain and a proven leader. While his long-term future remains uncertain, White should be an essential part of the Patriots’ 2021 offense. His role is primarily used in the passing game. That being said, he has shown the ability to successfully carry the football when asked to do so. During his seven seasons in New England, he has compiled 369 receptions, 3,184 receiving yards, and 25 touchdowns. He also has rushed for 1,240 career yards, with 10 rushing touchdowns.

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J.J. Taylor

All signs point to Taylor seeing more snaps in his second season with the Patriots. He only appeared in six games as a rookie but he did make plays when given the opportunity. Taylor went undrafted due to his size. He is only 5-foot-5, 185lbs but he has good hands, runs stronger with the ball in his hands, and can make plays. He was getting a ton of work during OTA’s and always manages to catch the coaching staff’s attention.

After seeing nine snaps in his rookie debut week one against the Miami Dolphins last year, Patriots running backs coach Ivan Fears shared some high praise regarding Taylor’s debut:

“(His performance was) about what I hoped for and actually what I expected,” Patriots running backs coach Ivan Fears told the media. “The guy is a pretty good player, really a good runner. He’s sort of fits into that mold of small backs like (Darren) Sproles and those guys that have been successful. But it’s early. It really is early to tag any kind of title on him or anything like that. But I tell you what, we’re really happy to have him out there.”

Taylor only had four carries for 28 yards and one catch for four yards. Not eye-dropping numbers but definitely proof that Taylor can play in this league. He finished the 2020 season with 23 carries for 110 yards.

Rhamondre Stevenson

Stevenson could be redshirted in year 1 and have to wait until 2022 to see game action. If you look back at the Patriots track record with rookie running backs, even players like James White only had 14 touches as a rookie. Damien Harris also did not play his rookie season. Stevenson will more than likely receive that same treatment, unless, of course, the running back group gets decimated with injuries. Aside from that, the 6-foot, 227-pound back out of Oklahoma has a chance to become the next power runner in this offense.

On a conference call on May 1st, Stevenson was asked about the Patriot’s past rookie running backs sitting out a majority of their rookie season and whether or not he feels like he’s ready to play right now.

“I can’t wait to just get to the NFL and just learn how to train myself like a pro, learn the game, learn the install and just learn from the backs that have been in the NFL. They know how it goes, they have more games in the NFL than me. So I’m just ready to learn and I know that Coach will put me in the best position to do that and be successful whether it’s sooner or later.”

Stevenson has all the attributes to fill the role that Burkhead filled. He has already been linked as a comparison to LeGarrette Blount. One thing to look out for in training camp is Stevenson’s ball security. One of his biggest issues in college was ball security. If Stevenson is going to earn snaps as a rookie, he’s going to have to have a strong training camp and limit the fumbles.

Tyler Gaffney

No disrespect to Gaffney, but he feels like the odd man out. He will undoubtedly be given the opportunity to compete for the role previously held by Burkhead, but unless he breaks out during training camp, Gaffney beating out Stevenson and Taylor this summer would be a surprising outcome.