James White Out for the Season; Who Will Step Up for the Patriots?

The New England Patriots have not had an ideal start to the 2021 season. They currently sit at 1-2 on the year and they lost more than just their game Sunday against the New Orleans Saints.

Veteran running back James White was carted off the field on Sunday with a hip injury.

White, who was the Patriots leader in receptions in Week 2, is expected to miss the remainder of the season, per Adam Schefter and Field Yates of ESPN. The go-to third down back will leave a big void to fill, but the next man up mentality is nothing new for the Patriots.

Expect to see a heavy dose of J.J. Taylor and Brandon Bolden in third-down situations, while Damien Harris will continue getting most early down reps. This could also be rookie Rhamondre Stevenson’s chance to get back into the rotation. He has been a healthy scratch two weeks in a row but running backs coach Ivan Fears has been talking him up since the loss of James White.

Photo: (Matthew J. Lee – Boston Globe)