Heading toward his third season in New England, running back Rex Burkhead says he likes the versatility his group brings to the Patriots.
FOXBORO – Camaraderie, Rex Burkhead says, runs deep in the Patriots backfield.
So does competition.
“I think we’ve got a lot of great guys,” Burkhead said on Tuesday. “I haven’t been able to meet the rookies yet, but the guys we have in here are hard workers. It’s good to have (Brandon) Bolden back.
“(We’re all) hard workers that come in to practice and meetings every single day ready to work and we love rooting for each other, we enjoy being around each other,” said Burkhead. “I think that makes it that much more enjoyable. But at the same time, we’re competing. We’re competing for jobs, playing time, whatever it is, but at the end of the day it comes down to how we can help this team out and I feel like we have a very unselfish group.”
The group has grown since the end of the 2018 season.
Bolden is back, re-signed after spending a season in Miami. Alabama’s Damien Harris was selected in the third round of the recent NFL Draft. Louisiana State’s Nick Brossette was signed as a rookie free agent at the conclusion of the draft.
That trio joins the three holdovers from the Patriots’ Super Bowl LIII championship campaign: Sony Michel, James White and Burkhead.
Might the additions put the Patriots in contention for the distinction of being the deepest backfield in the league?
“I think we have a great group of guys, a lot of versatility for sure,” said Burkhead. “We take pride in our work, but first and foremost our goal is to help the team out in whatever way you can. If that’s on special teams, in the passing game, in the run game, pass protection as well. So we’re just trying to do that to the best of our abilities. Whatever everyone else wants to label us, that’s fine, but we’re just trying to come in and work every single day. ”
In that vein, Burkhead is participating in the Patriots’ voluntary offseason program at Gillette Stadium, a process that personally has changed for him since he broke into the league with Cincinnati as a sixth-round draft pick out of Nebraska in 2013.
“You learn from your experiences from the past and also what some of the older guys like (special teams captain) Matthew Slater (do), he’s been in it for a while now and how he really takes care of his body so there are things (that change),” said Burkhead. “I remember my rookie year, I think I took like one week off and I was right back hard-core lifting right after the season and you learn that’s kind of not the best way to go about it.
“Your body takes some time to recover mentally, physically, and there’s some little things you can pick up on, too. Whether it’s yoga, pilates, things like that just to make sure your body’s in the best shape possible. When you make it far you really have to stay on top of that and, especially here, you understand your body’s your temple, and it’s your line of work.”
Signed by the Patriots as an unrestricted free agent in 2017, Burkhead, who’d spend four seasons with the Bengals, has proven to be a productive contributor when healthy over his two seasons in New England, the problem being that his “temple” has frequently broken down. Injuries have forced him to miss 14 regular-season games and one postseason game over that time.
A dual threat, the 5-foot-10, 215-pounder carried the ball 57 times for 186 yards (a 3.3-yard average) and caught 14 passes for 131 yards and one touchdown in eight regular-season games and tacked on 23 rushes for 96 yards (a 4.2-yard average) and seven receptions for 45 yards in the Patriots’ three postseason games in 2018. His 26-yard run late in the game helped the team seal its 13-3 Super Bowl victory over the Los Angeles Rams.
“It was great,” said Burkhead. “It definitely was a fun season and to finish off the way we did is definitely memorable and something I’ll never forget. But it’s a new season now and our goal is to get back there and be in that position again.
“We’ve got a long ways to go, got a lot of work to put in. We’ve got new guys on the team so it’s a new way. Not every season’s the same and you’ve got to figure out what’s the best way to go about it.”