Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Patriots actively seeking running backs in free agency?

The New England Patriots have plenty of work to do this offseason. Bill Belichick addressed one of the franchise's biggest needs by signing former Tennessee Titans tight end Jonnu Smith on Monday, but the work doesn't end there. 

According to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, the Patriots are actively seeking running backs in free agency. So are their AFC East rivals, the New York Jets. 

"The attention now turns to Seattle's Chris Carson, Arizona's Kenyan Drake and (Aaron Jones's) teammate, Jamaal Williams, who I can tell you is also going to have a strong market in free agency," Pelissero said. "Expect the Jets and the Patriots to be among the teams active in looking for running back help in the coming days."

The Patriots currently have Sony Michel, Damien Harris, J.J. Taylor and Brandon Bolden signed for the 2021 campaign. James White is set to become a free agent. 

New England has plenty of cap space to work with and will have many free-agent running backs to look at, including Kenyan Drake, Leonard Fournette, Le'Veon Bell, Jamaal Williams and Chris Carson. 

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