Patriots' Mike Gillislee: Officially joins Patriots

Gillislee will officially join the Patriots after the Bills declined to match the two-year, $6.4 million offer sheet he signed with New England last week, Chris Brown of the Bills' official site reports.

Analysis:

Gillislee now enters a backfield already headlined by Dion Lewis (hamstring), James White and Rex Burkhead, effectively ruling out the possibility of LeGarrette Blount returning to the Patriots in the process. Although Buffalo's decision not to match will cost New England a fifth-round pick, Gillislee provides the team with an ascending backfield talent. In 15 games last year as LeSean McCoy's primary backup, Gillislee rushed 101 times for 577 yards and eight touchdowns, while catching nine of 11 targets for 50 yards and another score.