Remember Laurence Maroney? The back who was supposed to replace “Clock Killin'” Corey Dillon suddenly disappeared from the New England lineup early last season and eventually landed on the injured reserve list. According to the Boston Globe, Maroney says he suffered from a broken shoulder.

Entering his fourth season, Maroney has yet to prove that he is a reliable down in and down out back in the NFL. The labels of him being soft and injury-prone will continue to haunt him until he can complete a season in healthy and productive fashion.

With Tom Brady coming off a major knee injury, it’s imperative that New England not only has a group of backs that can produce in the running game but also those that can block in pass protection. This could be Maroney’s last chance to show that he can in fact be a contributor for the New England Patriots.