Jonas Gray, LeGarrette Blount will both play

The New England Patriots will take on an elite run defense today in the Detroit Lions, but they were able to beef up their rushing attack by signing LeGarrette Blount to work in tandem with the rising Jonas Gray, who hit 201 yards in the definition of a workhorse performance against the Indianapolis Colts defense. It’s clear that the Lions will pose a more difficult challenge to Gray, and it will be interesting to see how many carries he splits with Blount.

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According to the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Patriots will not punish Gray further for being late to the team facilities earlier this week, as he will play. Per Rapoport, the Pats are expected to make LeGarrette Blount active after signing him after he went unclaimed on waivers. A Patriots-Blount reunion doesn’t come as a surprise, as the Patriots showed interest in re-signing him this past offseason but simply lost out to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Blount showed up well earlier this year, but a move back to the Patriots will suit him well after he fizzled out in Pittsburgh and made himself a headcase (yet again).

Rapoport reports that the Patriots will “divvy up” the rushing attempts between both players, and that’s definitely a storyline to watch for. I would tentatively expect Gray to get the bulk of the carries, since he played well last week and is the incumbent. But Blount is more explosive and was a monster for the Patriots down the stretch last season.