Dion Lewis Agrees to Deal With NFC Team

The ever-growing number of NFL head coaches and general managers with ties to the New England Patriots is good news for guys like Dion Lewis. It means there are decision-makers out there with first-hand insight into what they can do.

After two years with the Tennessee Titans – playing under former Patriots linebacker Mike Vrabel – Lewis, an undersized but well-rounded running back, has agreed to a contract with the New York Giants. There, he will play for first-year head coach Joe Judge, a former Patriots assistant whose time with that organization overlapped with Lewis’ three years there (2015-17).

The pact reportedly is for one year.

#Giants are signing RB Dion Lewis, as @JosinaAnderson reported. Former #Patriots back joins former Pats coach Joe Judge.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) March 23, 2020

The Giants feature running back Saquon Barkley, the second overall pick in 2018 and a 1,000-yard rusher in each of his first two NFL seasons. That likely means Lewis will play a role similar to the one he had in Tennessee, where he backed up Derrick Henry.

The Titans released the 29-year-old Lewis on March 12, days before the start of the new contract year.

The 5-foot-8, 195-pounder played 37 percent of the snaps on offense in 2019, down from 61 percent the previous season. He rushed for 209 yards (his lowest total in four seasons) on 54 carries and caught 25 passes (fewer than half the number from 2018) for 164 yards.

His 169 receptions since the start of 2015 rank among the top 20 for all running backs over that span, and his 81.3 percent reception rate is second among the 20 running backs with 160 or more catches over the past five seasons.

The Giants will be Lewis’ sixth NFL team. He entered the league as a fifth-round pick by Philadelphia in 2011. In addition to Tennessee and New England, he also has spent time with Cleveland and Indianapolis.