One Patriots Player Who Could be a Surprise Roster Cut in The 2021 Offseason

The New England Patriots may see some roster changes heading to the 2021 NFL season. The Patriots have already made some big moves. NFL experts believe that Tom Brady’s departure started the whole thing. TB12 left the Patriots to sign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and he will soon make his 10^th Super Bowl appearance. Linebacker Dont’a Hightower and safety Patrick Chung opted out of the 2020 season due to health concerns related to COVID-19.

There were a few open spots and some players got the chance to show off their skills.  Veteran running back Rex Burkhead did his thing. He has been a mainstay with the team since 2017 when he first joined the team.

Talented players to lose spot on the Patriots roster in 2021

Burkhead played with the Patriots in 2020, but he didn’t see much action in his three seasons in Foxboro. The Patriots lacked offensive power and many thought 2020 will be a breakout season for Burkhead. His best game happened in Week 3. New England played against the Las Vegas Raiders and Burkhead stacked 49 rushing yards on six carries and two rushing touchdowns. Burkhead had 49 receiving yards on seven catches and a receiving touchdown in the 36-20 win.

Burkhead’s success didn’t end here. He continued to see success but sustained a torn ACL injury in Week 11. He had seven yards on four carries in the 27-20 loss.

It was a season-ending injury for Burkhead. New England used James White, Damien Harris, and Sony Michel as a replacement. White was listed as a running back, but he contributed in the aerial attack. He finished the regular season with 375 receiving yards on 49 receptions and a score. White did 121 rushing yards on 35 attempts on two scoring drives in 14 games with the Patriots.

Harris entered the 2020 season with a fractured finger. He missed the first few games of the regular season. However, but he still turned out to be the best ball-carrier for the Patriots in 2020. Harris had 691 rushing yards on 137 attempts and two touchdowns in 10 appearances for the Patriots.

Michel missed some time due to a quadriceps injury. He was amazing in the final games and had 449 yards on 79 touches and a score in nine appearances.

The Patriots finished the season with a 7-9 record. Head coach Bill Belichick will add more wide receivers and running back to the roster, decreasing Burkhead’s chance to get a spot. Is he the odd one out?