No, the Patriots were unable to seal the deal on DeAndre Hopkins.
But that hasn’t stopped Bill Belichick and the Patriots from seeing what else is out there on the skill-position market.
Namely at running back, and after a week that saw the Patriots bring in two notable free-agent running backs — ex-Bucs and Jags running back Leonard Fournette and former Los Angeles back Darrell Henderson Jr. — in for workouts in Foxborough.
Neither resulted in a signing as of Sunday night, but we officially have some added context when it comes to the Patriots’ intentions with both players, courtesy of ESPN’s Mike Reiss.
“The Patriots’ workouts with running backs Leonard Fournette and Darrell Henderson Jr. last Wednesday reflect a combination of due diligence and acknowledgement that they haven’t filled the void from James Robinson’s release in June,” Reiss wrote in his always-informative weekend notebook. “No signing was imminent then, but the sides could always revisit in the future.”
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA – OCTOBER 16: Leonard Fournette #7 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers runs the ball for a first down against Arthur Maulet #35 of the Pittsburgh Steelers during the fourth quarter at Acrisure Stadium. (Joe Sargent/Getty Images)
The 28-year-old Fournette remains in search of work after a 2022 campaign that featured 668 rushing yards and 523 receiving yards in 16 games with the Buccaneers. On the ground, Fournette averaged 41.8 yards per game (his second-lowest average of his NFL career), and found the endzone just three times. The Bucs, for what it’s worth, ranked last in the NFL in both rushing yards and touchdowns last year, so it may not be a Fournette thing as much as a team construct and priority sort of thing that limited his on-the-ground usage a season ago.
Speaking to the preference of that Brady-led offense, the 6-foot-0, 228-pound Fournette did have quite a bit of success as a pass-catching back for the Bucs in 2022, and finished the year with receptions on 73 of his 83 targets (an 88 percent catch rate) and that aforementioned 523 receiving yards were a career-high for the six-year pro.
And this is not the first time that the Patriots have been linked to Fournette. In fact, the LSU product who went to Jacksonville with the No. 4 overall pick in 2017 visited New England on a free-agent visit just one year ago.
Fournette has totaled 4,478 rushing yards on 1,132 carries (4.0 yards per carry) and 34 rushing touchdowns, along with 312 receptions for 2,219 receiving yards and seven receiving touchdowns, in 79 career games.
INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 13: Darrell Henderson Jr. #27 of the Los Angeles Rams carries the ball during a 27-17 loss to the Arizona Cardinals at SoFi Stadium on November 13, 2022 in Inglewood, California. (Harry How/Getty Images)
Henderson Jr., meanwhile, is looking for his next stop after four years in Los Angeles, and after what was a quick, appearance-less stint with the Jaguars to finish out his 2022 season.
In action for 10 games with the Rams last year, the 5-foot-9 Memphis product totaled 283 yards on 70 carries (4.0 yards per carry), and scored three rushing touchdowns prior to his release. Henderson Jr. added 17 catches and totaled 102 yards through the air over the course of that 10-game run.
A third-round pick by the Rams back in 2019, Henderson Jr. was relatively productive throughout his Los Angeles run, with 1,742 rushing yards on 396 carries (4.4 yards per carry) and 13 touchdowns in 50 games played.
Henderson Jr. is certainly less of a pass-catching threat than Fournette, as Henderson Jr. has totaled just 66 catches and 474 yards through the air over that 50-game career, and has never had more than 29 catches or 176 receiving yards in an NFL season.
New England Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson (Mark J. Rebilas/USA TODAY Sports)
In the now, and until the Patriots move out of that ‘due diligence’ territory when it comes to potential external options, all eyes are on Stevenson and the potentially massive workload ahead of the 25-year-old.
On the field for all 17 games last year, Stevenson truly broke through a premier for the club, and established career-highs in rushing attempts (210), yards (1,040). yards per game (61.2), and yards per carry (5.0). Stevenson was also a major factor in the passing game, with 69 catches and 421 receiving yards.
But Stevenson certainly appeared to fade down the stretch, as he hit 60 rushing yards just once over the Patriots’ final eight games of the season, though that 60-plus night was an absolutely monstrous effort, with 172 yards on the ground in New England’s loss in Las Vegas.
For as good as Stevenson can be, the Patriots simply have to be mindful of avoiding a similar burnout in 2023.
Aug 11, 2022; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots running back Pierre Strong Jr. (35) runs with the ball during the second half of a preseason game against the New York Giants at Gillette Stadium. (Brian Fluharty/USA TODAY Sports)
Barring a free-agent addition, the Patriots will by all means have to hope for a strong second-year stride from 2022 draft picks Kevin Harris and Pierre Strong Jr. as Stevenson’s support system.
Harris is coming off a rookie season that featured 52 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries, while Strong Jr. totaled 100 yards and a score on 10 carries, while adding seven receptions and 42 yards on seven targets over a 15-game run.
The Patriots also have the versatile Ty Montgomery on their roster. Montgomery totaled three catches for 15 yards and a score in his lone appearance in 2022 before a knee injury ended his season.
