FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Signs are pointing to the New England Patriots being without running back Rex Burkhead for Sunday's home game against the Carolina Panthers. He missed his fifth straight practice Thursday after sustaining an injury to his ribs on Sept. 17.
That leaves Mike Gillislee, James White, Dion Lewis and Brandon Bolden as the running backs on the 46-man game-day roster.
After an offseason of questions as to how the Patriots would utilize their running backs with the free-agent departure of LeGarrette Blount, the picture is a lot clearer now. Gillislee is essentially Blount's replacement, while White is the top "passing back," which means he is likely to play the most snaps because of how often the Patriots attack through the air. Meanwhile, Lewis and Burkhead have been complementary pieces sprinkled in at various points.
That can always change, but the snap-count totals for Patriots running backs through three games bring that picture into focus:
White: 104
Gillislee: 75
Lewis: 32
Burkhead: 18
Burkhead's total would be higher if not for the injury. He appeared to be primed for a larger role in the team's victory over the Saints until sustaining the injury. He didn't play on offense after the fourth series of the game and has been out since.
One line of thinking was that Lewis might be primed for an increase in snaps with Burkhead out, but that didn't manifest itself last Sunday against the Texans when the Patriots struggled to get a consistent running game going. Lewis played 12 snaps in the game, while Gillislee had 21 and White 31.
Given Lewis' injury history, the idea of limiting his playing time to preserve him for the longer haul might be smart. At the same time, getting him a bit more involved -- and receiving more consistent play from the offensive line -- could be the spark the running game needs.
Like Burkhead, he's a valuable player in that he can play on early downs and in obvious passing situations should White be unavailable (in addition to his work as a primary kickoff returner).