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New England Patriots: Five most important backups

By Sayre Bedinger

Jun 13, 2017; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo (10) kicker Stephen Gostkowski (3) and wide receiver Malcolm Mitchell (19) during minicamp at Gillette Stadium practice field. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 13, 2017; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo (10) kicker Stephen Gostkowski (3) and wide receiver Malcolm Mitchell (19) during minicamp at Gillette Stadium practice field. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports /
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November 20, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; New England Patriots offensive tackle Cameron Fleming (71) before the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium. The Patriots defeated the 49ers 30-17. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
November 20, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; New England Patriots offensive tackle Cameron Fleming (71) before the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium. The Patriots defeated the 49ers 30-17. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /

4. Cameron Fleming, Swing Tackle

The Patriots’ offensive line has come a long way since their debacle against the Denver Broncos in the 2015 playoffs, and Cameron Fleming has been a bit of an unsung hero for that unit.

He played just over 25 percent of the offensive snaps last season, which is fairly significant for a backup tackle, but he proved he could fill in both at left tackle and right tackle.

This past March, the Patriots offered Fleming a restricted free agent offer over $1.7 million, which isn’t a steep price by any means, but it was telling that New England wanted to keep him around as their primary backup offensive tackle.

As we all know in the NFL, there’s not many capable of playing the tackle position at a high level, but the Patriots really have three guys that can do it well. Fleming is critical for the offense, both as a backup tackle and at times as a third tight end in obvious running situations.

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