A lighter Jeremy Hill shines in his Patriots preseason debut

FOXBORO – The Patriots offense was stagnant to start the preseason on Thursday night.

That was the case until Jeremy Hill got involved.

The veteran running back was one of the few offensive bright spots in their 26-17 win over the Washington Redskins. Hill gave the offense some life en route to rushing for a game-high 51 yards and scoring one touchdown.

"I’m just doing my job – just going out there competing," Hill said. "Just doing my job and [...]

FOXBORO – The Patriots offense was stagnant to start the preseason on Thursday night.

That was the case until Jeremy Hill got involved.

The veteran running back was one of the few offensive bright spots in their 26-17 win over the Washington Redskins. Hill gave the offense some life en route to rushing for a game-high 51 yards and scoring one touchdown.

“I’m just doing my job – just going out there competing,” Hill said. “Just doing my job and continuing to work. Hopefully, that will put me in a position where I need to be when the regular season gets around.”

Hill currently finds himself in a battle to make the Patriots roster with several other running backs. At this point, Rex Burkhead, James White and Sony Michel are locks to make the 53-man roster. That leaves Hill, Gillislee, Ralph Webb and Brandon Bolden left for one or two more spots.

Following Thursday, it would seem like Hill’s in the lead among his peers. He out performed Gillislee, averaging 4.6 yards per carry compared to his teammate’s 3.1. Hill not only ran hard, but he showed off some decent hands while catching two passes for 14 yards. He also had a nice blitz pickup, which could go a long way in the coach’s eyes.

On Thursday, both Burkhead and Michel were out. That left Hill with more opportunity to prove his worth.

“I can’t focus on that stuff. Whenever I get an opportunity, I’ve got to go out here and play well,” Hill said. “That’s what I try to do. I can worry about who’s up, who’s down and who’s playing. I just got to do my part and hopefully that’s enough to get the team to win.”

Part of Hill’s story this offseason is about his weight. Last year, with Cincinnati, he played at 236 pounds. This year, the Patriots staff asked him to slim down. While working with the team trainers, Hill is currently playing at 226 pounds.

Once considering a promising young running back (he ran for 1,124 yards as a rookie), Hill is coming off a tough season where he played in only seven games and rushed for 116 yards. After Thursday, he looks looking like he could bounce back with the Patriots.

“I think I just feel lighter on my feet,” Hill said. “I can get in and out of cuts and kind of make people miss a little better now. That’s something I’ve been working on this entire offseason with Moses [Cabrera] and our strength staff. Just continuing to do that stuff and hopefully it’ll help me with my play on the field.”