Part 3 in a series on free agency. Today's focus is running back.
Where have you gone, James White, Shane Vereen, Danny Woodhead, and Kevin Faulk?
There were so many things the Patriots screwed up from a roster-building perspective over the last handful of years, and not having a third-down back is right up there. They may have tried - Pierre Strong, anyone? - but it certainly didn't feel like finding an answer at that spot was high on the to-do list.
Yes, the Pats certainly got pass-catching production from Rhamondre Stevenson in 2022 (team-high 69 catches) and Ezekiel Elliott in 2023 (team-high 51), but at what cost? Stevenson was the offense that season and wore down late in the season. He would have benefited from having a seat in obvious passing situations. Elliott shouldered even more of a load despite having lesser numbers than Stevenson. That's because Rhamondre's ankle sprain cost him the season's final month, and he had no viable backup (Kevin Harris had 19 touches over the last four games).
A snapshot of the Kevin Stefanski/Alex Van Pelt era in Cleveland points to more of the formula the Pats have employed the last two seasons. They play two backs. This year, because of Nick Chubb's terrible injury, they were forced to sign Kareem Hunt off the street and paired him with Jerome Ford and, on occasion, Strong (who still isn't a pass-catching back). That could indicate how the Pats will approach this position under new leadership.
So, would you try to bring Elliott back? If he was willing to take what he got last year, maybe? The 29-year-old has a lot of miles on that body, and there isn't the same burst (evident as he got more touches later in the year), but he still produced 955 total yards from scrimmage, and that number would have been improved had the offensive line not been an ungodly mess for half the season (thanks, Bill).
Signed: Stevenson ($1.05 mil, $187K cap hit), Harris ($985k, $0), Ke'Shawn Vaughn ($1.125/$0), JaMycal Hasty ($1.37 mil/$0)
Unsigned: Elliott
GET YOUR MOTOR RUNNING
1. Devin Singletary, Texans: A low-cost answer at the position, relatively speaking. No, the name isn't going to have you doing cartwheels like Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs, and Tony Pollard might, but Singletary won't cost half as much as those guys, and he's proven to be a durable, effective runner/pass catcher throughout his five-year career.
"Motor" has missed just five games and has never rushed for less than 687 yards in a season, averaging 4.6 yards per carry. But he's also a competent receiver/blitz pick-up guy. He had 30 receptions last season in Houston and, during his time in Buffalo, hauled in 29, 38, 40, and 38 passes. Singletary is low to the ground (5'7 ", 205), making him hard to find between the tackles, and has a powerful lower half, enabling him to push some piles.
"Motor has this sneaky ability to find space," said DeMeco Ryans. "He has really good contact balance, so he's really not going down all the time on that first contact. He finds a way to maintain his balance and still find those lanes the O-Line has created.
"And Motor is always pressing forward. He's very shifty – you don't see it all the time – but he's shifty in the interior line. He's very shifty, and he finds a way to continue to press forward and fall for yardage. He's doing a really nice job for us."
Over the Cap estimates three years at $4.25 mil per ($8.5 mil guaranteed)
2. Antonio Gibson, Commanders: A converted college receiver, Gibson racked up nearly 4,000 yards of total offense during his four seasons in Washington with the Commanders, but the addition of Brian Robinson cut his touches by more than half - from 300 in 2021 to 113 this past season - though he was still productive, averaging 5.8 yards per touch.
He can catch the rock. He had a career-high 48 receptions this past season on 59 targets, and while he never materialized into the three-down back that the coaching staff was hoping he'd be, Gibson wouldn't have to be that here playing behind Stevenson (and maybe Harris if he can continue to develop).
"You see his athleticism because, again, that's what he came in as a receiver out of Memphis," said Ron Rivera of Gibson. "And he's really shown that his pass-catching ability is there. And then once he's got the ball in his hands, especially in space, he's a load."
Some of the Commanders' best offensive performances coincided with Gibson's best games, including in a 20-17 win at New England (6 rushes, 34 yards/5 recs, 42 yards).
Over the Cap has no projection. Spotrac values Gibson at $10.8 million over three years.
3. Austin Ekeler, Chargers: If you can't get anyone to take your money or decide that spending it on some of the other positions in free agency is illogical, the Pats could do a lot worse than trying to link up with Ekeler. He's a playmaker. Has been from the moment he set foot in the league, and even if he had a "down" year - don't discount what a mess that team was - he has proven capable of handling the full load (if need be) and might even benefit from a reduced role that knocks down his touches.
Ekeler had 51 catches this past season, averaging 8.5 yards per grab. The year before, he beasted. 107 receptions. At 28 years of age, that season might be a thing of the past, but I bet there's a happy medium in there that would make whoever is playing quarterback for the Patriots happy.
"No idea what to expect, zero idea," said Ekeler, hitting free agency for the first time. "And I kind of like it that way because I also have my expectations wide open to expect everything from maybe worst-case scenario to best-case scenario. I've had enough, I think, of a reputation that I've built for myself over the past years. It sucks, obviously, going into a down year right before free agency. This was a down year for our entire club, unfortunately. But the thing is, still motivated, ready to go and make plays, still ready to make an impact on a team.
"And it's nothing I haven't been through before," he continued. "I've been through ups, been through downs. That's how I'm even here. I used to be No. 3 [on the depth chart], running down on kickoff. And so, for now, for where I'm at and from where I was, I'm so proud of myself and the journey that I continue to build on. And I know that there's more to go. Body's back healthy, ready to go. Get back into training and get ready for next season."
Over the Cap estimates two years for $6.75 million per ($8 mil guaranteed).
4. Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Chiefs: Color me as someone who thought KC picking Edwards-Helaire at the tail end of the first round of the draft after they won their first Super Bowl as genius. He was coming off a ridiculous season at LSU (with Joe Burrow at QB), and it felt like the rich had just gotten richer. But it didn't play out that way for the Chiefs or Edwards-Helaire.
Yet, the way the Chiefs talk about Edwards-Helaire is intriguing, as is his skillset.
"He's been an energy giver, which you need," coach Andy Reid said of Edwards-Helaire after he helped KC beat the Pats this season. "He comes to work every day trying to get better, and he doesn't ever complain. If you give him two snaps, he'll take the two, make it the best he can. If you give him 30 or 40 snaps, he's going to do great there, too.
"He's a good route runner. He's got good hands, so he had opportunities and did a nice job with it."
"I'm not joking: He's one of the best dudes I think I've ever met, just the attitude that he comes into the building with," said Patrick Mahomes. "He's always got a smile on his face; he's always making other people smile.
"That's why we want him to succeed as much as everybody else. He has that (work) ethic of just coming in and putting in whatever he can to help the team."
Edwards-Helaire has had problems staying healthy - he's never played a full season though he came as close as ever this year (15 games) - and saw his role get reduced from 217 touches as a rookie to just 87 this season, but there is definitely life in those legs. He averaged 11.1 yards per reception (he had 17 this year).
Spotrac estimates a one-year deal for $1.6 million.
Best of the rest: Ameer Abdullah (Las Vegas), Dare Ogunbowale (Houston), J.K. Dobbins (Baltimore/coming off Achilles tear)
