Banged-up backfield could mean another big week for Dion Lewis

With Rex Burkhead and Mike Gillislee missing practice all week, it’ll mean a heavy dose of James White, Dion Lewis and maybe even Brandon Bolden in the backfield come Sunday against the Jets.



Burkhead (knee) and Gillislee (knee) were both missing again at the start of Friday’s practice, which means there’s virtually no chance they’ll be able to go in the regular-season finale this weekend at Gillette Stadium. Lewis has been on a remarkable run the last few weeks, including a career-best 129 yards in last Sunday’s win over the Bills.

We're adding Bolden to the mix here for a couple of reasons, including the fact that White has been nagged by an ankle injury he sustained earlier this month against the Steelers, which has limited his playing time. Then, there's the fact that on Friday, Bill Belichick praised the work of Bolden when he's been asked to fill in as needed.

"Brandon's always been productive for us, both as a runner and a receiver," 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."

In addition, defensive lineman Alan Branch (knee) and linebacker/end Eric Lee (ankle) were not spotted by those on the scene. It was the first DNP of the week for Lee, but Branch was not on the practice field all week, which means he probably won’t be able to go — that’ll mean more work for Ricky Jean Francois.

On the plus side, Rob Gronkowski was back at practice after missing Thursday because of an illness. Adding to the sense of optimism around Gronkowski’s availability this weekend? The fact that he’s scheduled to hold his weekly press conference with the media on Friday afternoon — he was initially set to talk to reporters on Thursday, but the fact that he missed Thursday practice caused the postponement.