New England Patriots: 5 Offseason moves to improve in 2021
New England Patriots offseason move No. 4: Move on from White, handing run duties to Harris and Michel
Another aspect of New England that was a strength throughout 2020 season once again was the efforts on the ground game and the talented rushing attack out of the backfield.
With a lack of weapons on the outside of the field and in the passing attack in general over the last few seasons, the Patriots have had to rely on the running back group to pace the way of the offense.
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While both running the ball on the ground and catching passes out of the backfield, the running back room in New England was a group effort including the likes of James White, Rex Burkhead, Damien Harris, Sony Michel and others throughout the 2020 campaign.
Specifically on the ground as a unit, the Patriots running backs and others managed to tally a total of 464 rush attempts in 2020, which was the seventh-most in the NFL during the regular season. New England ran for a total of 2,103 yards (seventh-most in NFL) for an average of 4.5 yards per carry (tied for seventh-most) and 17 touchdowns (tied for ninth-most) via the run.
This offseason, there are a few players among that rushing group that is set to hit free agency, and one thing the patriots should do is let White — and potentially Burkhead — walk while turning the ground game over to Harris, Michel and company in 2021.
White, who turns 29 years old in February, is a talented running back but has increasingly become more one-dimensional over the last year or two in Foxborough. As a running back, White catches more passes out of the backfield while the other players have mainly handled the ground game.
In order to improve things offensively, New England should focus on bringing in receivers this offseason while handing the rushing duties to Harris and Michel who had good seasons in 2020. The money that would be used to retain White could be better utilized by bringing in a wide receiver or tight end (or both) this offseason either via free agency, the trade market or the NFL Draft.