Pats will likely try to swing a deal now
So much for good news, just a short time after he walked thru the locker room with no noticeable limp, it was learned that Patriots’ running back Dion Lewis will undergo “clean-up” surgery and be shelved indefinitely.
Adam Schefter from ESPN broke the story that Lewis will undergo a second surgery.
Lewis who hadn’t been seen since the last day of minicamp was seen by the media strutting thru the locker room during the open phase on Sunday. Since he’s been MIA since June, it was seen as a positive sign. Now he’s going to ….at a minimum begin the season on PUP and perhaps even wind up on IR.
This latest setback is expected to last 8-10 weeks which would put Lewis on the cusp of PUP and possibly landing on IR if he isn’t ready by then.
So what do the Patriots do in the meanwhile? Well, it immediately opens a spot on the 53-man roster. We had already projected Lewis to start the season on PUP so that part is no surprise. That opens a roster spot that we believe will go to…right now Tyler Gaffney. It could also open the door for someone like Donald Brown or D.J. Foster to make the roster, but both have missed a ton of time.
One thing is for sure now, and that is James White’s spot now appears locked as he’s now the best pass catching RB on the team. The Patriots depth chart currently consists of: LeGarrette Blount James White Brandon Bolden Tyler Gaffney Donald Brown Joey Iosefa and D.J. Foster.
Blount, White, and Bolden appear to be roster locks. The remaining players will fight it out for the final spot. FB James Develin is a lock and could be listed here or with a separate category.
Work a Trade? The Patriots could be trying to work a trade or will wait and watch the waiver wire for a suitable pickup. This was something Paul Perillo of PFW said during the broadcast of the game on Thursday.
He mentioned the Titans and Bishop Sankey. He’s got good size and is a Patriots type player and would be a good fit. Tennessee is loaded at the position with Derrick Henry, DeMarco Murray, Dexter McCluster, Antonio Andrews, David Cobb, Bishop Sankey and Devid Fluellen. Sankey could possibly be had at a bargain price with their depth.
Other trading partners could be either Dallas or KC. The Cowboys just drafted Ezekiel Elliot, to go along with Alfred Morris, Darren McFadden, Lance Dunbar and sixth-round pick Darius Jackson. McFadden would be the obvious choice to get cut loose. Especially with the way Morris ran this week. Would Dallas and Jerry Jones look to help Kraft and the Patriots out? Hmmm.
A more likely deal could be had with the Chiefs and Andy Reid. Knile Davis seems the odd man out in KC and he had an impressive playoff game against the Patriots a year ago, right up until his fumble.
But regardless, the situation with the Patriots running backs and Lewis went from a wait-and-see to a position of need. It was hoped that Lewis would be back to start the season. Now the earliest that will happen looks to be early November.
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A former US Army Special Forces NCO and Officer, Steve has been following the Patriots since their days at Fenway Park. Steve has worked in the film industry and wrote as an Military Editor at SpecialOperations.com, 1945.com as a reporter for the Millbury Daily Voice, Millbury-Sutton Chronicle, and the Grafton News. He's also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA)
