No deal reportedly ‘imminent’ between Patriots and running backs they recently hosted
The Patriots hosted Leonard Fournette and Darrell Henderson Jr. for workouts on Wednesday.
The Patriots showed an apparent interest in a pair of running backs this past week, but don’t expect a move there soon.
There is no signing “imminent” between the Patriots and Leonard Fournette or Darrell Henderson Jr. after the team hosted them on Wednesday, ESPN’s Mike Reiss reported in his latest Sunday notes column.
Fournette and Henderson’s visits were due diligence by the Patriots along with them “acknowledging” that they haven’t replaced James Robinson’s spot on the roster after releasing him in June, Reiss added in his report.
Running back might not be a pressing need for the Patriots as they enter training camp on Wednesday. Rhamondre Stevenson returns and is expected to play a big role again after his breakout season in 2022, recording nearly 1,500 total yards of offense.
But after Stevenson, there are a bunch of unknowns at the position. Ty Montgomery returns for his second season with the team after suffering a season-ending shoulder injury in Week 1. If his role was anything like it was in training camp and in the first game of last season though, Montgomery would be more of a passing downs back than one who gets consistent carries (he’s had 41 or fewer carries in each of the last five seasons).
The other three running backs are players who haven’t seen the field much in the NFL. Pierre Strong Jr., who the Patriots took in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft, only played in 51 offensive snaps in his rookie season. He rushed for 100 yards on 10 carries and had seven receptions last season. Kevin Harris played a similar number of offensive snaps as Strong (53) and rushed for just 52 yards on 18 carries last year. J.J. Taylor is the third of the group and has been a practice squad mainstay for much of his first three seasons with the Patriots.
Because of the Patriots’ lack of known depth at running back, they’ve been linked to other players at the position prior to hosting Fournette and Henderson on Wednesday. Dalvin Cook was the most notable as the former Vikings star has shown some interest in the Patriots on social media.
New England is still in the hunt to sign Cook, Fox Sports’ Henry McKenna reported earlier in the week. The Patriots became the betting favorite to land Cook at some sportsbooks following DeAndre Hopkins’s decision to join the Tennessee Titans last week.
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