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New England Patriots are interested in RB Roy Helu

By Andrew Ross

Nov 30, 2014; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Washington Redskins running back Roy Helu Jr (20) runs for a second quarter touchdown against the Indianapolis Colts safety LaRon Landry (30) at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas J. Russo-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 30, 2014; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Washington Redskins running back Roy Helu Jr (20) runs for a second quarter touchdown against the Indianapolis Colts safety LaRon Landry (30) at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas J. Russo-USA TODAY Sports /
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The New England Patriots have really important positions they need to tie up during this offseason, and running back is definitely a position of need for them right now.

Both Shane Vereen and Stevan Ridley are currently free agents, and that leaves the New England Patriots with a bit of question mark at that position.

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There are a lot of great running backs on the market like DeMarco Murray, Frank Gore and C.J. Spiller, but the Patriots just don’t go after those guys who will drive a higher asking price. Instead, the Patriots like to find value guys that would fit in their system – and Roy Helu might fit that description perfectly.

Earlier today, Mark Daniels from the Providence Journal reported that the Patriots are interested in adding Helu to their roster.

While Helu has been buried behind Alfred Morris for the last three years with the Washington Redskins, Helu has still been able to display his great skill set in a limited role.

The Patriots probably aren’t worried about Ridley that much since his fumbling issues have drove them crazy over the last couple of seasons, but Vereen is a totally different player for them. Vereen isn’t a traditional running back who is going to pound it through the line, but rather he is a player that is great in their system who creates a lot of space and catches everything thrown his way.

Do you want to know how valuable Vereen has been to New England? In the Super Bowl victory against the Seattle Seahawks, Vereen finished with a whopping 11 catches for 64 yards.

Helu could fill that type of role.

Helu’s rushing numbers aren’t that impressive, but he has been the third-down-back for the Redskins and has shined in that role. In just this past season, Helu caught 42 passes for 477 yards and two touchdowns.

New England can offer Helu a very active role on the team if they indeed move on from Vereen and Ridley, and playing a big role on a good team would be too hard for Helu to pass up.

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