Patriots Sign RB C.J. Marable

August 12th, 2023 at 9:27am CST by Ben Levine

The Patriots are adding a running back, but probably not the one you’re thinking of. New England has signed running back C.J. Marable, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 in Houston (via Twitter). Marable worked out for the team yesterday.

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Marable is a success story out of the USFL, where the running back won a pair of championships with the Birmingham Stallions. In his two seasons with the team, the running back rushed for 925 yards and eight touchdowns, and he added another 396 yards and two touchdowns on 48 receptions.

The running back was previously a standout at Coastal Carolina, where he collecting 3,394 yards from scrimmage across three seasons at the school. Following a 2019 campaign where he compiled 1,380 yards and 14 touchdowns, Marable earned first-team All-Sun Belt honors in 2020 after finishing with 1,115 yards and 19 touchdowns. He went undrafted during the 2021 draft and had a brief training camp stint with the Bears.

Rhamondre Stevenson is prime for a big season atop the Patriots RB depth chart, but with Damien Harris now out of the picture, the team lacks experienced depth. A pair of former draft picks, 2022 fourth-round pick Pierre Strong and 2022 sixth-round pick Kevin Harris, are the main candidates to serve as the RB2 along with former UDFA J.J. Taylor.

Due to that lack of depth, the Patriots have been connected to a number of free agent running backs. Most recently, the organization had Ezekiel Elliott in for a visit, and it sounds like the front office is still interested in adding the former Cowboys star. Considering Marable’s lack of NFL track record, today’s signing probably doesn’t impact the chances of an Elliott signing in New England.

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