New England Patriots Lose BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Chance for Young Backs to Shine

It's not often that a team can lose its leading rusher over the past two years and feel comfortable about its situation at running back.

But that's exactly where the New England Patriots stand as they part ways with BenJarvus Green-Ellis, who signed a three-year deal with the Cincinnati Bengals on Wednesday afternoon.

Behind Green-Ellis, the Patriots have Danny Woodhead, Shane Vereen and Stevan Ridley on the depth chart (in no particular order). 

Woodhead has shown promise in a complementary role to Green-Ellis as a third-down back. His role will likely remain the same.

Taken in the second round in 2011, Vereen's rookie year was essentially a red-shirt year. He played just 26 snaps (per Pro Football Focus) and had 15 carries for 57 yards. The jury is still out on him, but there's time left, and as always, training camp is an open competition. 

Ridley, on the other hand, will likely see a significant increase in his role. Drafted in the third round in 2011, Ridley was afforded minimal opportunities early on with just 13 snaps in New England's first three games. His snap count increased in Week 13 against the Colts, and he also started getting more touches. He made the most of his opportunities, averaging 5.2 yards per carry in the final five games of the season and 13 carries per game in the final three games of the season.

Then, the playoffs happened. Ridley had four carries for 21 yards, but fumbled late in the blowout victory and was kept out of the team's final two games: the AFC Championship Game and the Super Bowl.

While that might indicate a lack of confidence in him, the Patriots felt good enough about him to let Green-Ellis walk. His success in an increased role will likely be the deciding factor on whether the Patriots made a wise choice in doing so.

But the Patriots may not yet be done making moves at running back. The team usually likes to carry some veteran talent to complement their youth at the position. Kevin Faulk is still on the roster, but at 35-going-on-36-years-old, the cagey vet could call it a career. There are still several free agent running backs left the Patriots could target, including Michael Bush, Cedric Benson and Justin Forsett. 

The running back position is clearly in flux, and the future rests in the hands of young talent. It's time to see what they can offer on a week-to-week basis.

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