Roy Helu Could Be Shane Vereen’s Replacement for the Patriots
With the expected departure of Shane Vereen creating a need for a viable receiving threat out of the backfield, the Patriots could turn to free agent Roy Helu to fill the void.
Mark Daniels of the Providence Journal reported the Patriots have interest in the 26-year-old Helu, who caught 42 passes on 47 targets last season in Washington. Helu spent his first four seasons with the Redskins, backing up Alfred Morris for each of the last three.
The Giants have also been linked to Helu, and New York is also pursuing Vereen. If Helu comes at a fraction of the cost that it would take to keep Vereen, the Patriots would be getting great value. In fact, analytics show Helu is one of the most underutilized players in the NFL.
According to advancedfootballanalytics.com, Helu led all NFL running backs in Expected Points Added per Play in 2014. Despite getting just 82 offensive touches and playing 13 games, Helu racked up nearly 700 total yards and broke 26 tackles, per Pro Football Focus. PFF graded Helu as the fourth most elusive player in the NFL in 2014.
Like all free agent developments, replacing Vereen likely comes down to how much the Patriots feel they need to spend to replace his production. With LeGarrette Blount, Jonas Gray, James White, Brandon Bolden, and Tyler Gaffney all expected to compete in training camp, Vereen’s replacement could be an in-house player.
But if the money is right, Helu makes a lot of sense in that pass-catching role. And snaps in a Patriots offense that suits his strengths could be just what Helu needs to go from an analytics darling to a household name.
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