Patriots RB Mike Gillislee Fighting For Roster Spot

According to Mike Reiss of ESPN, Patriots RB Mike Gillislee is fighting for a roster spot, despite opening the 2017 season as the team’s starter.

The Patriots used a first-round on Sony Michel and signed Jeremy Hill in free agency to go along with Rex Burkhead, James White and Brandon Bolden. They also signed undrafted free agent Ralph Webb, so it’s clear that a notable running back is going to be on the chopping block.

Reiss expects Gillislee, Hill, Bolden and Webb to compete for one or two spots on the Patriots roster this summer.

The Patriots signed Gillislee away from the Bills last year and parted with a fifth-round pick as part of the compensation to sign him as a restricted free agent.

Reiss explains that Gillislee may find himself on the chopping block in part because releasing him would result in no dead money.

Gillislee, 27, was a fifth-round pick of the Dolphins in the 2013 NFL Draft. He spent just over two years in Miami before he was among their roster cuts at the start of the 2015 regular season.

After a brief stint with the Cardinals, the Bills signed him to their practice squad during the 2015 season and brought him back on a one-year deal. However, Buffalo lost Gillislee last offseason when they declined to match the Patriots’ two-year, $6.4 million restricted offer sheet.

Gillislee stands to make a base salary of $1.9 million for the 2018 season.

In 2017, Gillislee appeared in nine games for the Patriots and rushed for 383 yards on 104 carries (3.7 YPC) to go along with one reception for 15 yards and five total touchdowns.