Strong carried twice for four yards and caught two of his three targets for 13 yards in Friday's preseason finale against the Raiders.
Of more import than the stats Strong logged Friday while logging 14 snaps is that Ty Montgomery -- the favorite to handle the Patriots' top pass-catching/change-of-pace RB role -- suffered an ankle injury in the contest. If Montgomery is forced to miss extended time, Strong would be a candidate to handle an expanded role as the season progresses, while top early down options Damien Harris and Rhamondre Stevenson could see added opportunities in the passing game out of the gate, Evan Lazar of the Patriots' official site notes.