Patriots reportedly amongst teams interested in Maurice Jones-Drew


The convergence of all 32 teams to Orlando for annual league meetings was expected to grease the skids on some player movement the Patriots could be involved in, including the ongoing DeSean Jackson situation in Philly. By the sounds of it, they could also become a bit of a battleground site for a number of teams competing for a big name: former Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew.


Four AFC teams in the mix there, including three in the AFC East. The Jets were reported as having interest in MJD at the start of free agency, but have yet to officially visit with the veteran running back. The Steelers worked him out last week, but the meeting ended without a contract offer.

Jones-Drew has been a superstar in this league for a while now. The three time Pro Bowl running back has 8,071 yards (4.5 yards per carry) in his eight year career, all with Jacksonville. He's also an excellent all-around back, with excellent receiving ability out of the backfield and nastiness that belies his 5'7" size in pass protection (ask Shawne Merrimen if you don't believe me).

However, averaging 361 touches per year from 2009-2011 seems to have taken it's toll on Jones-Drew, who turned 29 yesterday. After leading the league in rushing in 2011, Jones-Drew only played six games in 2012, and followed that up with a career low 3.4 yards per carry last season. Granted, he was constantly keyed on by defenses as one of the only threats in a toothless Jacksonville offense, but his combination of age and mileage likely means his days as a bell-cow back are over.

However, he still has the talent to be an excellent addition to any backfield, be it in a starting or supportive role. Of the four teams listed, Miami is the only one where he'd likely start, as he'd complement Le'Veon Bell in Pittsburgh, Chris Ivory in New York, and Stevan Ridley/Shane Vereen in New England.

From a Patriots perspective, most assumed that they'd end up re-signing LeGarrette Blount after his monster performances down the stretch. However, Blount has received interest from both the Steelers and Ravens, and the Patriots could be seeking a more well-rounded player to fill out their depth chart than the one-dimensional Blount. For example, Jones-Drew would've come in handy last season as a capable third down back to fill in when Shane Vereen missed half the season with a broken wrist, a role Blount simply doesn't have the skillset to fill.

This sets up a very interesting game of running back musical chairs. With Jones-Drew, Blount and Knowshon Moreno (who worked out for Miami last week but didn't receive a contract offer) all getting more looks recently, it will be interesting to see how the dominos fall for each of those four teams at the running back position.

It's been reported that Jones-Drew is seeking $3.5 million a year, but that's a tough number for almost any back to get, let alone someone a year away from turning 30 with 1,804 carries already on his legs. It's likely that Jones-Drew's asking price goes down once he realizes the reality of the market.

Stay tuned!

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