Evans In, Zereoue Out

With the offensive backfield deteriorating to look more like the defensive backfield, the New England Patriots signed fullback Heath Evans today. To make room on the 53-man roster, New England release running back Amos Zereoue. The terms of the Evans deal were not disclosed.

Evans will wear No. 44 for the Patriots.

Evans is 26 and listed at 6 feet, 250 points. He was drafted out of Auburn by Seattle in the third round (82nd overall) of the 2001 draft. Evans played three years in Seattle, before landing in Miami this season where he played in six games, starting two at fullback.

In his pro career, Evans has 34 carries for 108 yards, 16 receptions for 104 yards, 13 kickoff returns for 189 yards, and 15 special teams tackles. Despite his apparent versatility, he is considered primarily a blocking fullback. At Auburn, he was a lead blocking back and occassional tailback.

Zereoue, 28, was signed by the Patriots on Sept. 28 and played in three games, logging 7 rushes for 14 yards and 1 catch for 5 yards. He has previously played with Pittsburgh and Oakland.

Corey Dillon played well on a sore ankle after Patrick Pass went down with a hamstring injury early in the second quarter of New England's 21-16 win over Buffalo on Sunday. Kevin Faulk remains out indefinitely with an injured foot. However, releasing Zereoue and not placing Faulk on injured reserve may signal the Patriots are confident that Faulk will be back before the end of the season.

COMMENT

The Patriots are in dire straits heading into Monday Night's matchup with Indianapolis. This may seem like a fairly insignificant move, considering the state of the defensive backfield. On the other hand, if New England's best chance is to match Indy score-for-score, having an extra back blocking for Tom Brady may be the best move Scott Piolo and Bill Belichick could have made. Colts' defensive end Dwight Freeney already will have an advantage against an inexperienced left side of the Pats offensive line, and the extra blocker will be needed. Don't expect Evans to get many, if any touches. He's there to protect Brady, lead the way for Dillon and maybe free up a tight end.