A grand total of four carries and 25 yards, plus one reception for six yards. That'll be Jeremy Hill's stat line for the entire 2018 season, after the Patriots running back tore his ACL in Sunday's season-opening win over the Bills.
That's a disappointing development for what's otherwise been a revelatory 2018 campaign. In training camp, the 6-foot-2, 236-pound former Cincinnati Bengals running back beat out Mike Gillislee, now of the New Orleans Saints, for the big-back role that Bill Belichick cherishes as a change of pace to the compact, pass-catching backs he deploys in garden variety.
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There's always the possibility practice-squadder Ralph Webb gets called up to the varsity too, though he fits the latter mold. Should the Pats be in the need for a Hill-type back, there are a few intriguing options they could explore on the market -- provided there's still gas in the tank:
DeMarco Murray
The former AP Offensive Player of the Year is only a season removed from his last 1,000-yard campaign, taking on a more diminished role in 2017 with the Tennessee Titans as Derrick Henry slowly took over lead back duties. But at 30 years old, more than 1,600 career carries to his record, and with a new role this fall as a college football analyst for FOX, it’s fair to wonder how much he’s got left in the tank – and what kind of football shape he’s in.
Eddie Lacy
New England Patriots
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The former University of Alabama star has never come close to replicating the back-to-back 1,100-yard campaigns he put together in his first two years in the league in 2013-14, his star fading as he battled injuries and weight issues. Last season in Seattle was his nadir, averaging just 2.6 yards a carry. Given the flash-in-the-pan production at the start of his pro career, and the Saban-Belichick connection, it might be worth checking in with the burly back.
Andre Williams
This one has more of a local flavor, but it wouldn’t be the first time Belichick has kicked the tires on a local college hero (Mike Cloud, anyone?). Williams, a former Heisman Trophy finalist, has never come remotely close to replicating his college production in the pros. But he’s still only 26, and fits the Hill-like prototype at 6-foot, 220 pounds.
Jordan Todman
This one’s a long shot -- and purely sentimental, if we’re being honest. The well-traveled pride of Dartmouth, Mass., and UConn is often regarded as one of the greatest high school running backs to ever come out of Massachusetts, and carried the Huskies to their first and only Orange Bowl berth. Todman has suited up for eight teams in his seven years in the league; it would be all too fitting if the 200-pounder ended his career on the same Gillette Stadium turf where his legend began in the MIAA state finals.
