The Patriots will attempt to fill the void Jeremy Hill‘s injury created in their backfield by signing Kenjon Barner, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com tweets.
Barner worked out for the Patriots last week. The sixth-year running back’s spent his NFL days with the Panthers and Eagles. He and Hill’s skill sets don’t exactly overlap, however, with the 28-year-old soon-to-be Patriot known mostly for his return acumen.
Barner could well replace Riley McCarron as the Pats’ punt returner. The Patriots waived McCarron after a game that featured a fumbled punt. Barner served as the Eagles’ kick- and punt-return specialist last season, marking his first season of sustained punt-return work. He returned 27 punts in 2017, averaging 8.9 yards per return. Cordarrelle Patterson is a two-time All-Pro return man, but he’s been strictly a kick returner in his NFL career.
The Panthers released Barner after the preseason, despite signing him in May. The former sixth-round draft pick began his career with the Panthers before spending four seasons with the Eagles.