New England has seen a plethora of injuries at the wide receiver position in the early stages of the 2017-18 season. The impact started in the preseason when Julian Edelman went down with a non-contact knee injury in a game against the Detroit Lions.
This injury alone is tough for any team to overcome. Edelman has been the Patriots leading WR in yards for the past five seasons. Brady’s go to guy was gone, but fans still felt the team had enough weapons at the position to get by.
Last year’s fourth-round draft pick Malcolm Mitchell contributed down the stretch, making important catches when it counted. During training camp, Mitchell suffered a knee injury that would end his season as well. Again, Patriots fans and local media believed they had the bodies to be productive. New England may have seen this coming, as they traded their third-string QB, Jacoby Brissett, to Indianapolis in exchange for 2015 first-round pick WR Phillip Dorsett. Dorsett had not lived up to his draft stock in Indianapolis. Coach Belichick believed the talent was still there.
In a Week 1 loss to Kansas City, slot WR Danny Amendola suffered both a knee injury and a concussion. This would keep him out for the remainder of the game and cause him to miss Week 2. At this point it is unclear if Amendola will play in Week 3 against Houston.
Chris Hogan came up with a limp during Week 2 but continued to play, and even Dorsett had to get checked out on the sideline. Both of these players are likely to be questionable for next week’s match-up. The only player who hasn’t been injured is their big offseason acquisition, Brandin Cooks.
With so many injuries at one of the most important positions in the sport, how are the Patriots going to win?
Running Backs.
One of the best things New England has done is create an exceptional pass-catching RB core. James White and Dion Lewis have been together for three years now and are two of the best pass-catching backs in the game. They have been tremendous at making guys miss.
Last season, James White had the third most receiving yards by a running back (551). He was behind only David Johnson and Le’Veon Bell, arguably the two best RBs in the league. His ability and importance to the offense was seen on the grandest stage when he set the record for receptions (14) in a Super Bowl, not for a running back, for any player in Super Bowl history.
Due to injuries that he has suffered during his time in New England, Lewis’ stats aren’t as convincing, but for anyone who has watched him play knows his ability.
If you expand Lewis’ 2016 season to a full 16 game season, he would have recorded over 880 yards receiving with 82 receptions. That would have been good enough for most receiving yards by a RB by over 100 yards. He’s had success in New England when he’s been on the field.
Add Rex Burkhead to the equation this offseason. The Patriots found Burkhead at the bottom of the depth chart in Cincinnati. Behind Jeremy Hill and Gio Bernard, it was tough for him to get the opportunities with the Bengals. Belichick thought he could do more. He was so confident that he made him the highest paid RB in New England history. That was, until Mike Gillislee signed his offer sheet.
This trio of pass-catching backs will see their roles expanded due to injuries at WR. Not to mention a potential groin injury to Gronkowski as well. They’ve already seen action, as White has the second most receiving yards for RBs this season, and Burkhead got a touchdown on a play where he was motioned out of the backfield and into the slot. We’ll see this production pick up even more. The possibilities are endless with these backs, as they are the key to success without healthy WRs.