The NFL's hottest quarterback will soon be adding another weapon to his arsenal.
The New England Patriots are holding out hope that running back Dion Lewis will be ready to re-join the backfield rotation for next week's showdown with the Seattle Seahawks, the Boston Herald reported.
After opening the season on the physically unable to perform list following a second knee surgery, Lewis returned to practice last Thursday. The Patriots have two more weeks to activate him to the 53-man roster.
It will be interesting to see how Lewis is utilized upon his return. James White has been one of the most improved receiving specialists in the league, ranking second in receiving touchdowns (3), sixth in receptions (29) and seventh in receiving yards (258) among running backs.
"It's really exciting," power back LeGarrette Blount said, via the Boston Herald. "James is playing great. I'm playing pretty good. Brandon (Bolden) is playing good for us when we need him to.
"Whenever we add Dion to the mix, that's just another weapon that is going to be tough for a lot of defenders to defend. I don't know how that's going to be. Obviously, I'm not a coach. But it's always fun watching him play."
To Blount's point, the ultra-elusive Lewis was one of the most fun players to watch in the first half of the 2015 season, consistently making multiple defenders miss tackles via the run as well as the pass.
The perfect fit in New England's spread attack, Lewis allowed Tom Brady to exploit mismatches against linebackers in coverage. With Lewis as the backfield sidecar, the Patriots scored in an incredible 31 consecutive quarters to open last season. The offense averaged 35.1 points per game through the first nine weeks of the season compared to 24.3 after Lewis tore his ACL in early November.
Can Lewis recapture that form just over two months removed from surgery to correct a patella stress fracture related to the ACL recovery? If not, the Patriots are still in good hands with White and Blount.
