New England Patriots: 5 Burning questions for the 2020 season
3. Will James White, Sony Michel have even larger roles?
Although some other portions of the New England offense have seen some turnover this offseason, one position that will look very similar when the new year begins lies at the running back spot.
As has been the case for the last few years, Patriots running back duo of James White and Sony Michel will once again headline the ground game out of the backfield in Foxborough in 2020.
In 2019, the duo of White and Michel collectively put together solid seasons both in the ground game and through the air in the passing attack for New England. This season, however, they might have to have even larger roles within the offensive gameplan.
A year ago, the Patriots ground game combined to finished with 1,703 rushing yards, which ranked 18th in the NFL. New England’s running attack finished with a total of 447 rushing attempts (ninth in the NFL) and 17 rushing touchdowns (10th in the league).
Specifically for White and Michel, both were key players both on the ground and catching the ball out of the backfield throughout the regular season, something that will likely be the case again this year.
White finished the 2019 campaign, his sixth season in the NFL and with the Patriots, with 263 rushing yards and one touchdown on 67 attempts. He was an even bigger aspect to the passing game as a running back, tallying 72 catches for 645 yards and five touchdowns.
To counter White, Michel played a larger role in the running game in his second season in the NFL and in New England last year. The running back finished with 912 rushing yards and seven touchdowns on 247 carries, adding 12 catches for 94 yards in the passing game.
In 2020, a big question will be if the young pair of running backs will be able to continue to lead things on offense to help counter what the Patriots are able to do in the passing attack. If they are able to return to form, they might gain even larger roles within the offensive game plan in Foxborough.