The Patriots added Rex Burkhead in free agency. They met with Adrian Peterson, and apparently have an offer to LeGarrette Blount. And they're still not done. They had restricted free agent backs from division rivals Miami and Buffalo in for visits: Damien Williams and Mike Gillislee.
Gillislee was tendered at only the original pick level, a fifth-rounder. He had washed out quickly with the Dolphins, but he flashed some potential with Buffalo late in the 2015 season. Then last year, as the backup to LeSean McCoy, he was very effective again. He rushed for 577 yards and 8 TDs on 101 carries; that's 5.7 yards per attempt. That's tops among the running backs who had at least 100 carries a year ago.
Certainly some credit goes to the blocking scheme and the presence of Tyrod Taylor, since No. 3 on the list is another Bill, McCoy. But rookie Jonathan Williams, who will be the backup should Gillislee sign elsewhere, averaged just 3.5 yards per carry (27 for 94).
Buffalo has McCoy, so they'd no doubt like to bring back Gillislee at No. 2 money. But maybe they should have tendered him at a higher level. There's a precedent for losing a restricted free agent to New England (Chris Hogan).
Running backs with 100-plus attempts, sorted by yards per carry, are shown below. Some other interesting positioning on the list, like the fact that Jacquizz Rodgers was a whole lot better than Doug Martin in Tampa Bay last year, and that Thomas Rawls was really ineffective for Seattle. And that Gillislee, aside from being younger, was considerably more effective a runner than Blount.
| RUNNING BACK YARDS PER CARRY (100-PLUS ATTEMPTS), 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Att | Yds | Avg | TD |
| Mike Gillislee, Buff. | 101 | 577 | 5.7 | 8 |
| Bilal Powell, NYJ | 131 | 722 | 5.5 | 3 |
| LeSean McCoy, Buff. | 234 | 1,267 | 5.4 | 13 |
| Jordan Howard, Chi. | 252 | 1,313 | 5.2 | 6 |
| Ezekiel Elliott, Dall. | 322 | 1,631 | 5.1 | 15 |
| Mark Ingram, N.O. | 205 | 1,043 | 5.1 | 6 |
| LeVeon Bell, Pitt. | 261 | 1,268 | 4.9 | 7 |
| Jay Ajayi, Mia. | 260 | 1,272 | 4.9 | 8 |
| Devonta Freeman, Atl. | 227 | 1,079 | 4.8 | 11 |
| Isaiah Crowell, Clev. | 198 | 952 | 4.8 | 7 |
| Carlos Hyde, S.F. | 217 | 988 | 4.6 | 6 |
| Derrick Henry, Tenn. | 110 | 490 | 4.5 | 5 |
| DeMarco Murray, Tenn. | 293 | 1,287 | 4.4 | 9 |
| Tevin Coleman, Atl. | 118 | 520 | 4.4 | 8 |
| Spencer Ware, K.C. | 214 | 921 | 4.3 | 3 |
| Ryan Mathews, Phil. , PHI | 155 | 661 | 4.3 | 8 |
| Jacquizz Rodgers, T.B. | 129 | 560 | 4.3 | 2 |
| David Johnson, Ariz. | 293 | 1,239 | 4.2 | 16 |
| Rob Kelley, Wash. | 168 | 704 | 4.2 | 6 |
| Alfred Blue, Hou. | 100 | 420 | 4.2 | 1 |
| Tim Hightower, N.O. | 133 | 548 | 4.1 | 4 |
| Paul Perkins, NYG | 112 | 456 | 4.1 | 0 |
| Lamar Miller, Hou. | 268 | 1,073 | 4.0 | 5 |
| Latavius Murray, Oak. | 195 | 788 | 4.0 | 12 |
| Terrance West, Balt. | 193 | 774 | 4.0 | 5 |
| C.J. Anderson, Den. | 110 | 437 | 4.0 | 4 |
| LeGarrette Blount, N.E. | 299 | 1,161 | 3.9 | 18 |
| Frank Gore, Ind. | 263 | 1,025 | 3.9 | 4 |
| Melvin Gordon, S.D. | 254 | 997 | 3.9 | 10 |
| Jeremy Hill, Cin. | 222 | 839 | 3.8 | 9 |
| Jonathan Stewart, Car. | 218 | 824 | 3.8 | 9 |
| Chris Ivory, Jac. | 117 | 439 | 3.8 | 3 |
| Matt Forte, NYJ | 218 | 813 | 3.7 | 7 |
| T.J. Yeldon, Jac. | 130 | 465 | 3.6 | 1 |
| Devontae Booker, Den. | 174 | 612 | 3.5 | 4 |
| Jerick McKinnon, Minn. | 159 | 539 | 3.4 | 2 |
| Rashad Jennings, NYG | 181 | 593 | 3.3 | 3 |
| Matt Asiata, Minn. | 121 | 402 | 3.3 | 6 |
| Todd Gurley, L.A. | 278 | 885 | 3.2 | 6 |
| Thomas Rawls, Sea. | 109 | 349 | 3.2 | 3 |
| Doug Martin, T.B. | 144 | 421 | 2.9 | 3 |
--Andy Richardson