Under new head coach Mike Vrabel, the Patriots have been sending signals throughout the offseason that they plan a new, but at the same time old, approach to running the team’s offense. First, the team used their second-round draft pick, the 38th overall selection, on one of college football’s premier running backs, Ohio State’s TreVeyon Henderson.
If that wasn’t a strong enough sign that Vrabel and new, but also old, offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels â back for his third stint as New England OC â would be emphasizing an old-school reliance on the running game, the Patriots went a step further when it came to signing undrafted free agents, acquiring another running back â Lan Larison out of UC Davis.
Patriots Revamped Running Back Room
They bestowed upon Larison the fourth-highest signing bonus out of the 19 UDFAs they signed, $175,000. But Vrabel and McDaniels weren’t done revamping the running back room yet.
The next running back they signed, signaling an even greater commitment to the “smash mouth football” approach, was a fullback. The position that had not been a significant part of any Patriots offensive scheme at least since the retirement of All-Decade fullback James Develin after the 2019 season.
That fullback was Brock Lampe, signed to a $2.98 million, three-year deal out of Northern Illinois. While most undrafted free agents enter training camp as long shots to make any team’s final, 53-man roster, Patriots insider Phil Perry of NBC Sports Boston tabbed Lampe as close to “a lock” to make the roster. Perry referred to Lampe as “the guy” at the old-school position.
Vrabel Appeared to See Lampe as ‘The Guy’ as Well
The Patriots coaching staff appeared to back Perry’s assessment. Through the first five days of the Patriots official training camp, right through Monday’s first full-pads practice, Lampe was the only one of the UDFA corps to line up with the team’s regular starting offense. There was a lot to like about Lampe.
“In college, he played 47 consecutive games at fullback, excelling as a run blocker,” recounted Mark Daniels of MassLive. “He finished his collegiate career with 18 catches for 216 yards and a touchdown. He also had 20 carries for 66 yards and two rushing touchdowns. Last year, Northern Illinois averaged 200.8 rushing yards per game.”
But now, Vrabel and McDaniels will need to make what Keagan Stiefel of the Boston cable sports outlet NESN called a “big pivot” when it comes to scheming up their offense â because Lampe will not play for the Patriots this season after all.
UDFA Fullback Now Done For Season
Following Tuesday’s practice, the Patriots announced that they had placed Lampe on the Injured Reserve list, effectively ending his rookie season more than a month before it could have started.
The nature of the 22-year-old Lampe’s injury was not revealed in the Patriots’ announcement. Lampe did not take the field for Tuesday’s practice and according to reporter Alex Barth of the Boston sports radio station 98.5, Lampe finished Monday’s full-pads practice “without any apparent incident.”
“The fact of the matter is that the team once looked destined to keep a fullback and now needs to pivot,” wrote Stiefel. “It comes down to one of two options. New England can either sign a replacement or look to tweak their offensive strategy.”
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