Back on April 10, the Patriots reportedly hosted former Jacksonville Jaguars running back T.J. Yeldon at Foxboro. Fast forward to Monday and ESPN’s Adam Schefter is reporting the running back is set to play in the AFC East for the 2019 season.
Only it won’t be for the Patriots. Instead, Yeldon will suit up for the Buffalo Bills after signing a two-year contract.
The Bills already foster a stable of LeSean McCoy and Frank Gore at the running back position. For now, the Patriots maintain the group of Sony Michel, James White and Rex Burkhead, in addition to Brandon Bolden, who returns to New England on a two-year deal after spending a season in South Beach.
Yeldon ranked 10th among all running backs in targets (77) throughout 2018, finishing with 55 receptions. He also averaged 8.9 yards per reception. Given his dynamic ability in the receiving game, Yeldon could have been a fit in the Patriots offensive scheme to compliment White, who was second among running backs with 123 targets.
White and Yeldon nearly finished with the same catch percentage in 2018, converting 70.7 and 70.5 percent of their chances, respectively. Throughout their careers, Yeldon has the higher catch percentage of the two, edging out White 73.4 to 72.9 percent.
Yeldon was not a major factor in Jacksonville’s ground game last year. He averaged 7.4 rushing attempts per game and logged 414 yards on 104 attempts in 14 games (4.0 yards per carry).