Patriots are exploring ‘actually distinctive’ Dalvin Prepare dinner scenario, staff govt says

Patriots

“It is a distinctive scenario. And in any distinctive scenario, I believe everyone evaluates and appears at it.”

It’s the ultimate week of July, coaching camp has begun, and four-time Professional Bowler Dalvin Prepare dinner doesn’t have a contract after being minimize by the Minnesota Vikings in a cost-saving transfer final month.

That’s uncommon, Patriots director of participant personnel Matt Groh stated, and New England intends to take a detailed take a look at whether or not the operating again is a match for Foxborough.

“It is a actually, actually distinctive scenario for each of those gamers,” Groh stated of Prepare dinner and recently-signed Titans receiver DeAndre Hopkins. “You don’t usually have gamers of this caliber obtainable right now.

“The contracts which might be signed for gamers proper now are nowhere close to within the neighborhood that these gamers are usually anticipated to signal,” Groh continued. “Normally, these are all minimal guys, so it is a distinctive scenario. And in any distinctive scenario, I believe everyone evaluates and appears at it.”

Hopkins visited the Patriots in June, and even ate some clam chowder whereas he was in Boston. Groh stated New England “frolicked working” on a possible Hopkins deal, however he picked Tennessee as a substitute, inking a two-year $26-million greenback deal.

“I do know we had been one of many groups talked about that was most prevalent, however we exhausted our choices and did what we thought made probably the most sense,” Groh stated.

Prepare dinner is likely one of the gamers the Patriots are evaluating, Groh stated. Final week, New England hosted a pair of operating backs, Leonard Fournette and Darrell Henderson on visits, in hopes of probably including depth behind Rhamondre Stevenson.

However Prepare dinner can be completely different. He’s topped 1,000 yards for 4 years in a row. He had 1,557 yards and 16 touchdowns in 2020. Pairing him and Stevenson collectively may rework New England’s floor recreation.

He had two years left on his earlier 5-year, $63 million contract earlier than the Vikings minimize him.

The Patriots have round $13 million in cap house in line with Spotrac. There are solely two operating backs within the league (Christian McCaffrey and Alvin Kamara) who’ve a cap hit larger than that.

“You’ll be able to by no means have too many good gamers,” Groh stated. “We labored out a pair operating backs. We’ve labored out some completely different positions right here. We’re going to proceed to work out gamers identical to each staff within the league is doing. Exploring each chance that we will to make this as robust a roster as attainable.”