Reggie Gilliam arrived in New England with a very specific job description, and the Patriots wasted little time showing how much they want that role to matter.
The fullback’s debut in Wednesday night’s season opener against Seattle was barely a blip on the stat sheet. Gilliam played 13 offensive snaps, and just 11 of those came on running plays. He wasn’t targeted at all in the passing game, even though he brought some sneaky receiving production with him from Buffalo - 16 career catches, two touchdowns, and an 8.4 yards-per-catch average.
That kind of usage stands out because the Patriots clearly didn’t bring him in to be a bit player. Gilliam became the highest-paid fullback in football in terms of max contract value, per Spotrac, at $10.8 million over three years. So when he’s on the field for only a third of New England’s runs, it’s fair to wonder whether the team is tapping into the value it thinks it signed.
The Patriots’ ground game didn’t exactly make a loud opening statement, either. They ran the ball 31 times on 67 plays, but the results were modest.
Rhamondre Stevenson was on the field for 60 of 71 offensive snaps, according to Pro Football Focus, and handled 25 total touches for 95 scrimmage yards without scoring. Even so, he averaged fewer than 3 yards per carry against Seattle’s defensive front, which made the Patriots’ new look up front feel incomplete.
TreVeyon Henderson’s absence mattered, too. He traveled to Seattle but couldn’t get his injured ankle ready in time to play, leaving Stevenson to carry almost the entire load. Henderson’s burst and ability as a receiver out of the backfield were missed, especially with the Patriots trying to find answers in the run game and short passing game.
Still, Gilliam’s quiet night was the bigger surprise. Boston Sports Journal’s Greg Bedard called it out in his weekly film breakdown: “Reggie Gilliam was underwhelming in his first Patriots action,” Bedard wrote. “I'm going to guess that fullbacks improve with more real game action.”
That lines up with the larger picture around Gilliam’s fit. Josh McDaniels has already said the offense will need an all-hands-on-deck approach to replacing A.J.
Brown’s role, and one possible route is more under-center work with Gilliam on the field. Chad Graff of The Athletic wrote in the preseason that Gilliam could be most useful as a piece that forces defenses into uncomfortable personnel choices for quarterback Drake Maye.
“If the Patriots put Gilliam on the field alongside a running back, tight end and two wide receivers (21 personnel), they can pretty much dictate that the defense will play with three linebackers and stack the box,” Graff wrote. “That makes defenses more susceptible to play action and the passing game, which is where New England thrives.
“Then, if teams swap in an extra defensive back to counter that, the Pats can use Gilliam as a lead blocker to hammer the defense on the ground for consistent gains (which they weren’t great at a year ago).”
There’s still a long runway here. Bedard noted that Gilliam didn’t play a preseason snap, and the Patriots also would have had more chances to stress a defense if Henderson had been available alongside Stevenson. PFF graded Gilliam at 60.1 as a run blocker in the opener.
The broader rushing numbers were not especially encouraging. Like last season, when New England finished top-10 in the NFL in total rushing yards, a chunk of the production came from Drake Maye’s scrambles. Stevenson and backup Corey Kiner combined for 62 yards on 24 carries.
The Patriots now have extra time before next week’s home opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the running game will stay front and center. With Brown set to miss at least four games because of a high-ankle sprain, the pressure on McDaniels to find answers only grows.
Gilliam may end up being part of that solution. On Wednesday night, though, his first Patriots outing was more whisper than weapon.
In Other News...
Patriots Suddenly Face A Bigger A.J. Brown Problem Than Expected
The Patriots receiver picture took an immediate hit when A.J. Brown went on injured reserve after suffering a high ankle sprain in Week 1. The original expectation was a four-week absence, which already would have tested New Englands depth and timing on offense early in the season.
Now the recovery window sounds longer, with reports suggesting Brown could miss up to six weeks and not be back until around Week 8. No surgery is planned, which is at least a good sign, but it leaves the Patriots waiting longer than they first hoped for a key piece of the passing game to get back on the field. [Read more 🡒]
Patriots Fans Can Already Judge Vrabels Best And Worst Trades
Mike Vrabels first two offseasons have already given Patriots fans plenty to sort through, with a busy trade ledger that has helped reshape the roster in stages. Some of the deals have looked like clear wins, others have been more of a fine balance between cost and fit, and a few have landed in that frustrating middle ground where the logic made sense even if the return has not exactly stirred enthusiasm.
What makes the list interesting is how much of it is still being judged in real time, because several of the swaps hinge on players whose impact in New England remains limited so far. The draft capital attached to those moves matters too, since the Patriots have been working through a broader plan that blends immediate roster fixes with longer-term bets, and not every trade can be graded the same way when the results are still unfolding. [Read more 🡒]
Hunter Henry Is Closing In On Rare Patriots Company
The Patriots left Seattle with a loss, but Hunter Henry still walked away with another reminder of how important he has become to the offense. The veteran tight end is closing in on 3,000 receiving yards, a mark that would put him in rare company among the teams all-time receiving leaders at his position and add another line to a rsum that already reflects his value far beyond the box score.
Drake Maye has made it clear Henrys influence reaches well beyond the routes he runs, praising him for the mentorship and leadership he brings to a young offense. With the Patriots dealing with A.J. Browns high-ankle sprain and the uncertainty that comes with moving pieces around a passing game, Henrys steadiness matters even more, and the next milestone is suddenly sitting right in front of him. [Read more 🡒]