7:05pm: There’s nothing imminent between the two sides, reports Rapoport (via Twitter), who notes that the Patriots appear to be “set for the time being.”
9:00am: Jackson will work out for the Patriots when he visits the team today, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Rapoport also notes that Jackson wants to play for a contender, as the veteran free agent said back in May.
8:54am: With LeGarrette Blount and Dion Lewis both out for the rest of the season, the Patriots figure to rely more heavily on Brandon Bolden and James White going forward. However, the team signed Montee Ball to its practice squad on Tuesday, and now seems to be considering at least one more veteran free agent.
According to Ed Werder of ESPN.com (via Twitter), the Patriots are meeting with former Rams and Falcons running back Steven Jackson today, based on mutual interest between the two sides. Between his time as Denver’s head coach and his return to New England, Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels served as the Rams’ offensive coordinator for a season in 2011, so he has some history with Jackson.
While Jackson had an excellent run in St. Louis, rushing for more than 1,000 yards in eight straight seasons and earning three Pro Bowl nods, he appeared to have lost a step during his two years with the Falcons. In 27 games with Atlanta, Jackson ran for 1,250 yards on 347 carries, an average of 3.6 yards per attempt. He was cut by the team in February and there have been no reports of him working out for NFL teams since then.
Still, if the Patriots think Jackson has stayed in game shape during his absence from the NFL – he hasn’t played a game in nearly a full year – then perhaps the team will take a flier on him down the stretch. For now, we’ll have to wait to see how today’s meeting goes.