Eight's A Crowd in the New England Patriots' Stuffed Backfield

(Photo by Donald Miralle/Getty Images)

BenJarvus Green Ellis

BenJarvus Green-Ellis, nicknamed “Law Firm” by his teammates for his polysyllabic last name, is probably the most intriguing prospect in this group.

He hasn't been in the league long, but was an Associated Press All-SEC first-team selection and put together back to back 1,000 yard seasons while at Ole Miss.

Undrafted, the Patriots signed him for camp last year but decided he was surplus to requirements on the active roster, putting him on waivers before signing him to the practice squad the next day when nobody else picked up his rights.

When the injury bug bit the Patriots, he was signed to the active roster in place of WR Maurice Price and promptly made his NFL debut the next day with a nine yard catch as the Patriots were torched by the Chargers.

He ended up with a rushing attempt in eight games last year, appearing in two others, gaining 275 yards on the ground and five touchdowns while catching three for 37 more yards.

His chances of making the roster aren't bad, given his performances when called on to deputize for the injured Lawrence Maroney and Sammy Morris. His starting time was brief, though, and grew more limited as the season wore on, but the fact that he's had a good amount of game reps gives him the inside track over the other young guys in this group.

Still, the likelihood of him being on the roster if Morris, Taylor, Maroney, and Faulk play well in camp and are healthy may be slim. I don't think the Patriots will be willing to see him go, but if nobody from that group ends up on IR or getting cut, it's possible he'll be waived again.

This time, I doubt his phone will stay silent for long.

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