Javarris James reportedly gets promoted from practice squad But Hasn’t Happened Yet

The Patriots have apparently replaced RB Laurence Maroney on the roster. According to FoxSports.com’s Adam Caplan, it came because of a promotion.

Former Miami star Javarris James will be activated to the 53-man roster, giving the team its fifth running back. He had been on the practice squad.

[Updated: I’m told this has not happened yet. It may, it may not. In his news conference, coach Bill Belichick said, “We have four running backs.” We’ll see..

In the locker room, James said he had no idea about the promotion, nor did his teammates. But considering the team carried five running backs last year, it wouldn’t be a complete shock.

The cousin of NFL star Edgerrin James fits the mold of a Patriots type of guy. He’s big and physical — 6-foot-1, 215-pounds — and has focused on pass blocking. At The U, he had 103 carries for 492 yards with six touchdowns, while also catching 13 passes for 85 yards.

Belichick said he’s been impressed with James, a former Miami Hurricanes star, and didn’t rule out activating him by the end of the week. The Patriots currently only have 52 players on their active roster.

“I think he’s done a good job in the short time that he’s been here,” Belichick said of James. “He picked things up, was a hardworking kid. It seems like he’s got some skill. I thought he had a good preseason. That’s why we brought him here on the practice squad. He’s learning the system, picking up things — sort of a little different from the way that he’s done them before, but he’s a smart kid. [He] works hard. We’ll see how it goes.”

When asked to compare Javarris to Edgerrin James, his cousin Belichick said: “I really didn’t have a lot of experience with Edge. He’s a lot bigger physically. I think they’re a different style of player. They play the same position… It would be hard for me to make that comparison. They look different to me physically.”



(bostonherald.com)