The Patriots are expected to activate running back Dion Lewis this week, but how much he’s able to contribute as he comes back from last year’s ACL tear remains to be seen.
But according to Patriots coach Bill Belichick, he’d have to do something pretty significant to justify taking James White off the field.
White’s been the third-down complement to LeGarrette Blount this season, and has been quite good, with 29 catches for 258 yards and three touchdowns.
“I think James White is a good player,” Belichick said, via Mike Reiss of ESPN.com. “What he does is good. Could somebody do it better? I don’t know. But it would take quite a bit, I would say, based on where he is and how consistent he’s been with what he’s done.
“It would take somebody playing pretty good to be better than him.”
Of course, Lewis has been pretty good for the Patriots when he was healthy, with 622 yards from scrimmage and four touchdowns in seven games last year. But White has performed well enough to give the Patriots the benefit of time to incorporate Lewis in slowly.
