The New England Patriots are on a three-game win streak, and their running game has been a big reason for the success. Unfortunately, injuries hit the unit hard in the Week 9 win over the Carolina Panthers and at least one Patriots analyst believes the team may need to address the position.
WEEI’s Ryan Hannable wrote:
New England’s backs combined for 220 of the 273 total yards on the day, but saw Damien Harris and Rhamondre Stevenson leave the game in the second half because of head injuries.The return timeline on these players is so hard to predict. Some players clear the concussion protocol quickly and don’t miss any time at all, while others are forced to miss several weeks like the Patriots have seen with cornerback Shaun Wade this year and Carl Davis last year. With that being said, the Patriots may need to prepare to be without Harris and/or Stevenson for the short-term. Brandon Bolden was the only healthy running back to finish the game and then J.J. Taylor was a healthy scratch. There are no backs on the practice squad, so the Patriots may need to look outside the organization and add a player for the time being.
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While Hannable is correct, the Patriots may have to look to sign a running back. However, his colleague Andy Hart thinks the team may have a player on the roster capable of putting in some work at a secondary position.
Hart tweeted:
The Patriots did use Smith as a running back against the Panthers, and he also had some carries in his years with the Tennessee Titans. Still, would the Patriots risk Smith, who has already been banged up most of the season, as a running back?
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The Risk of Playing Jonnu Smith at RB
Smith has played in all 9 games this season for the Patriots, but he’s been a constant on the injury report. He suffered a shoulder injury in the win over the Panthers, so it stands to reason he may be on the injury report ahead of the Week 10 matchup against the Browns as well.
A player can obviously be hurt at any position, but running backs take a bit more of a pounding than most roles on the field. Putting Smith in a spot to take that sort of punishment–at least with regularity–just doesn’t seem smart.
J.J. Taylor and Low-Cost Free-Agent are the Most-Likely Options
New England still has running back J.J. Taylor that they can turn to if Harris no Stephenson are available. Aside from Taylor, the Patriots might need to sign a veteran if both of their primary ball carriers are out with injury. Don’t rule out the team placing a call to a veteran like Tyler Gaffney whom they released in August.
His familiarity with the system might be a bit of a draw for the Patriots’ coaching staff.
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Patriots Weapon Could Be Asked to Play Out of Position