2017 Patriots Off-season

I think it's more likely a team like Cleveland would take him, since Sidney Jones have a -lot- of picks.

Maybe the Patriots could red-shirt him if they have nobody they're in love with, but personally I'd hope they take Jake Butt as their 'rehab' guy.

I'm more worried about Butt, second time he's torn ACL in that knee. I stay away unless he really falls in draft.

Jones is going to fall, but it would be very surprising if he went past third round. He thinks he'll play this year.

Per Todd McShay's tier rankings he only has 19 prospects as first round picks. That's a low number and a surprise, as everyone​ seems to love this draft. It seems the depth of this draft is what people love.

Pats resigned Bolden. Gotta believe that makes carrying a Blount (who doesn't contribute on ST) rather difficult.

Of course he's a different player but that's not the point. At full health, NE kept 4 RBS active (Blount, Lewis, White and Bolden - I'm grouping Devlin in with the TEs).

Based on his contract and the reports out there, Burkhead is going to get a lot of touches (I hesitate to use the phrase "lead back" but you get the picture). So if Rex is getting Blount's touches, then that 4th RB will see little offensive time. Im also assuming Burkhead's ST snaps get reduced if he's getting lots of touches.

So that 4th active RB is, primarily, a ST player who COULD play RB in a pinch. That's more Bolden than Blount.

Not sure who that's directed towards but, yes, he's a ST that is listed with the RBS (and they, typically, will only have 4 active).

EDIT : Since you are referencing his usage including last year (where he rarely saw offensive snaps), I'm assuming you'd agree they CAN carry him.

What they rarely do is carry someone who is down on the offensive or defensive depth charts who doesn't contribute on ST.

Based on the past rosters, if Blount is signed and active, it likely means one of Burkhead, White and Lewis is either inactive or getting significantly fewer touches than we are currently expecting.

Yes but Burkhead also plays on all 4 special teams units so the roster construction could be different. Like it may affect how many "safeties" they carry. Regardless, either way Bolden doesn't necessarily affect Blount as much as Burkhead did.

By the way I see no need for Blount. I don't particularly like him and think he's over-rated; I'm just not so sure the Patriots don't still want him back.

First in regards to Sherman I thought they talked trade before they signed Gilmore. I looked at that as they might have rather traded for Sherman than sign Gilmore if the price was right. I took it the price was high so they moved on. Just my take from what I read.

I don't think they brought Burkhead in to be the lead RB. I look at him as a Bolden, will play all 4 special teams units and be an option in running game. That's a big upgrade over Bolden, because he's a good runner. At most I expect him to split carries with a rookie or a player like Blount/AP. More likely he gets 5-10 carries a game to change up running systems and confuse D. We haven't had two good power type RBs in years on active roster. Everyone is making assumptions about Burkhead's role based on the money. I think he got that much because he's a core special teams player and a good runner. We all know core special teams players get paid more by Patriots than other teams just look at Slater and Bolden. That's the reason they don't play Blount a lot. He's limited in what he does. No special teams and he's not a receiving option.

Analysis for Rex Burkhead at the time he was signed indicated most people saw him as a four-down back type - someone who could handle all downs in varying role, beacuse his skills -were- that diverse.

I imagine signing Bolden means Burkhead plays less on fourth down, but his skills as a running back is considerably more rounded than Blount's. He's a bigger version of Dion Lewis, really.

www.numberfire.com/nfl/news/13570/rex-burkhead-is-a-sneaky-and-important-signing-for-the-patriots

They are not paying Burkhead twice as much as Bolden to just do special teams when they could have simply signed Brandon Bolden in the first place.

They're not even paying Matthew Slater, pro-bowl special teamer, -that- much...

Slater is making 1.8 million in 2017.

Burkhead is 3.15 million.

There's a reason most analysis of that signing says 'Patriots paying Burkhead like he's their starting back'. It's because he's paid like a running back, not a special teamer. Bolden made about 1.6 mil last year? It should be around that too, if he were really going to be a core special teamer.

I don't think it likely at all that Belichick has suddenly decided to set a new upper salary range for a free agent special team that's not even a pro bowler, and much more likely that he's settled on 3.1 million as being good for a well-rounded RUNNING BACK... which, incidentally, is also three times as much as what Blount made last year, and twice as much as what Dion Lewis will make in 2017.

Whether Burkhead actually -is- good enough to be a running back for a full year is another thing, but I think the special teams ability is a bonus feature, not the main feature that Burkhead's being paid for. It means his -floor- is Brandon Bolden, but his ceiling is higher than that, and he's being paid for that ceiling in this case.