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New England made two transactions on Wednesday.
While all eyes across the NFL are on the upcoming schedule release, the New England Patriots decided to make a change to the backend of their roster. The team of head coach Mike Vrabel signed running back Trayveon Williams following a workout, and released defensive lineman Eric Johnson in a corresponding move.
Let’s assess what those transactions mean for the team.
Veteran running back depth
The Patriots recently added some youngsters to their backfield, drafting TreVeyon Henderson in the second round and signing Lan Larison and fullback Brock Lampe as rookie free agents. Williams, meanwhile, adds an element of experience.
A sixth-round selection in the 2019 draft, he spent the first six years of his career with the Cincinnati Bengals and appeared in a combined 71 regular season and playoff games for the team. Seeing most of his action in the passing game — i.e. 200 of 305 career snaps — he provides a versatile skillset as a runner, receiver, and pass protector.
As a result, Henderson projects as a rotational depth option competing for the No. 4 spot behind Rhamondre Stevenson, Antonio Gibson, and Henderson.
He does not offer the most extensive statistical résumé, having touched the ball just 77 times for 381 total yards, but he can be of value due to his versatility, as a veteran in the room, and as a core special teamer. Speaking of which…
Special teams help
Williams’ offensive output has been relatively limited, but he offers quite a bit of expertise in the game’s third phase. Having played a total of 914 special teams snaps during his time in Cincinnati, he has seen regular action on all four kickoff and punt return and coverage teams.
Along the way, he registered 14 tackles and returned 37 kickoffs for 836 yards and a 22.6-yard average per runback. Williams should compete for the kickoff returner role this summer against, among others, fellow running back Antonio Gibson.
No surprise along the defensive line
The Patriots parting ways with Eric Johnson to make room for Williams is not necessarily a surprise. A fifth-round draft pick by the Indianapolis Colts in 2022, he originally arrived in New England as a waiver claim last August.
Primarily employed as an early-down defender in hopes of helping replace a sidelined Christian Barmore, Johnson went on to see action in 11 games. He played 178 defensive snaps and registered 17 tackles, all of them in the running game.
Even though he ended 2024 as the Patriots’ No. 4 pure defensive tackle in snaps played, Johnson’s spot on the roster was anything but secure. New England, after all, made some serious investments along its interior in free agency and the draft; with Milton Williams, Khyiris Tonga and Joshua Farmer joining the team, among others, the writing for Johnson was on the wall.
Salary cap savings
The Patriots replacing Johnson with Williams could have a positive effect on the team’s salary cap.
As pointed out by cap expert Miguel Benzan, Williams’ deal qualifying for the veteran salary benefit is a rather safe assumption. In turn, only $1.03 million of his $1.17 million salary would actually hit New England’s cap this season.
Removing Johnson, meanwhile, clears his entire $1.1 million salary from the books without creating any dead money. All in all, the savings associated with the two moves are therefore of the minor variety — but savings still.