Patriots deal running back Maroney to Denver for a draft pick

When asked late last month if he envisioned Laurence Maroney helping his team this year, New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick answered: “Oh, absolutely. I sure do.”

The coach wasn’t kidding.

On Tuesday, the fifth-year running back helped the Patriots pick up a fourth-round draft choice.

The players’ day off at Gillette Stadium evolved into an eventful day for Maroney when he was dealt to Denver.

The Patriots packaged the underachieving Maroney with a sixth-round pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, sending them to the Broncos in exchange for a fourth-round choice next year.

The trade was initially reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Press releases issued by both teams a couple of hours after news of the trade broke pointed out that the deal hinges on Maroney passing a physical with the Broncos.

Maroney sat out the Patriots’ season opener with Cincinnati on Sunday with a thigh injury.

Maroney’s arrival in Denver reunites him with his first offensive coordinator in the NFL, Broncos head coach Josh McDaniels. His departure from New England breaks up the old running back by committee of five, leaving Fred Taylor, Sammy Morris, Kevin Faulk and BenJarvus Green-Ellis to carry on.

With the roles of Taylor (who has seized the lead back role), Morris (who can line up at fullback as well as running back) and Faulk (the third-down back) pretty much defined, Maroney was essentially jockeying with Green-Ellis for position on the team.

Green-Ellis contributed five carries for 22 yards to Sunday’s 38-24 season-opening win over Cincinnati in Foxboro. He also brings special teams value to the roster.

In the end, think of this as a scaled-down version of last year’s trade of Richard Seymour to Oakland. As was the case with Seymour at that time, Maroney was entering the final season of the contract he signed as a first-round draft pick (21st overall) in 2006 and it was highly unlikely the Patriots were going to retain his services. So rather than get nothing in return for Maroney in a few months, the Patriots chose to deal him now.

Maroney’s role with the Patriots was called into question this summer when he failed to carry the ball in two straight preseason games.

The University of Minnesota product put up his best numbers for the Patriots in 2007, his second season with the team, when he gained 835 yards and averaged 4.5 yards per carry.

Last season, Maroney ran for 757 yards and a career-high nine touchdowns, but even then there were issues with him as fumbling (he turned the ball over four times) suddenly became a major problem.

Maroney leaves the Patriots as the franchise’s 13th all-time leading rusher, sandwiched between Leonard Russell and Mosi Tatupu with 2,430 yards.

The 5-foot-11, 220-pounder’s farewell to Foxboro came on Sunday when he watched Taylor lead a 23-carry, 118-yard rushing attack by gaining 71 yards on 17 attempts against the Bengals.

In Denver, Maroney joins a Broncos team that was limited to 89 yards rushing in Sunday’s 24-17 season-opening loss to the Jaguars at EverBank Field in Jacksonville.

Knowshon Moreno, who sat out the preseason with a hamstring issue, and Correll Buckhalter combined to rush 21 times for 75 of those yards for the Broncos.

The Broncos lost the services of running back LenDale White to a ruptured Achilles’ tendon during the preseason.