New England Patriots running back Dion Lewis is reportedly on track to be ready for the season opener. Having Lewis healthy could solve all of the Patriots’ running game issues.
After the New England Patriots pretty much ignored the running back position all off season, it was expected to be a major hole on the team’s offense. Sure, LeGarrette Blount can pace the rushing attack, but it would be nice to have another quality back to pair him with.
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Returning from his significant knee injury, Dion Lewis may be ready to come in and be that guy.
According to Mike Reiss of ESPN, the explosive and elusive Lewis is expected to be ready to go for the Patriots’ regular season opener.
"“Some close to Lewis feel that he’s about one month away from being able to play in a game,” Reiss reported, “which naturally means that his availability for the season opener Sept. 11 in Arizona is looking good at this point.”"
After the Patriots signed Lewis as a free agent flyer last off season, he came in and quickly became one of the most productive backs in the entire league. With his incredible quickness, game-breaking speed and ability to run between the tackles, on the outside and catch passes out of the backfield, Lewis quickly became an explosive weapon in the offense.
However, in Week 9 against the Washington Redskins, Lewis took a screen pass from Tom Brady and made a couple of cuts before going down in pain. Lewis ended up tearing the ACL in his right knee, forcing him to miss the rest of his breakout season.
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Lewis progressing well over six months after surgery is certainly a good sign, but he is far from out of the woods. If he continues to progress well, I could certainly see him being ready for the season opener nearly 10 months after his knee surgery.
Up until this point, I had pretty much expected Lewis to at least miss the first few weeks of the season, but if he can come back healthy to start the year, that is a huge game-changer for the Patriots.
After losing Lewis and Blount for an extended period of time last season, the Patriots struggled to establish the run down the stretch. While Blount can pick up the tough yards on the inside, Lewis’ speed and quickness brings a different element to the Patriots’ offense. He is an explosive play-maker who can make anybody miss with incredible moves in the open field.
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Having Lewis healthy and ready to start the season would instantly give the Patriots’ rushing attack a much-needed boost. Not to mention, if Jimmy Garoppolo has to start the first four games of the year, the Patriots will likely rely on their rushing attack more than ever before. Having Lewis as a safety valve receiver out of the backfield would also be huge for Garoppolo.
I did not understand the Patriots not addressing their situation at running back this off season. They had opportunities to add impact players both in free agency and the draft and passed on them multiple times. Instead they decided to move forward with the same group of guys and only added Donald Brown to the mix.
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However, Lewis’ injury situation changes everything. He is an explosive play-maker who the Patriots do an incredible job of getting the ball in space. Having him back will be a huge for the Patriots’ offense, as Lewis can single-handily save their running back situation.