FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- When the New England Patriots lost tight end Rob Gronkowski to a season-ending back injury in November, there were various scenarios considered for how the team would adjust on offense.

Perhaps most notable is that fullback James Develin has arguably seen the most significant change in usage, which is timely to revisit after he played a career-high 43 snaps in Sunday's 16-3 victory over the Denver Broncos.

Who said the fullback was on the verge of extinction in the NFL?

Not in New England, where it's come to life in recent weeks. The 6-foot-3, 255-pound Develin has carried out his traditional role as a lead blocker but also is splitting out wide more often in the passing game, with quarterback Tom Brady finding him on a 13-yard catch Sunday.

"I'm not exactly Tom's first read on those plays," Develin said with a laugh Tuesday. "But when he needs the outlet and has to check it down to me, I'll be there and have to earn his trust doing that.

"As a competitor, you want to be out there between the lines, so it was great to get into the flow of the game and pick things up and kind of know what you can do against certain guys."

The linkage between Gronkowski and Develin is highlighted by how Develin's usage has almost doubled in games that Gronkowski doesn't play.

Counting the first two games of 2016 without Gronkowski, coupled with the last five (which includes Nov. 27 against the Jets, when Gronkowski was limited to seven snaps), Develin has averaged 27.8 plays.

In the other games with Gronkowski in the lineup, Develin's usage dipped to an average of 14 offensive snaps per game.

Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels said Develin has a "very important role in the offense" as he "does a lot of things that may not show on a statistical sheet."

"We've talked a lot this year about just our overall toughness, and James is very tough," McDaniels said.

The Patriots missed that toughness in 2015 after Develin broke his right leg in the preseason and missed the remainder of the season. Develin said Tuesday that he's left that injury in the past, preferring to focus on the "great feeling being back out there with my guys" and crediting the offensive line for its work in the running game.

As for his own role, he said, "When you think of a fullback, you think of those hard-nosed, tough guys, who bring a lot of toughness to the running game and to the offense. I take a lot of pride in that. I try to go out there and relentlessly do my job. A lot of times that involves a lot of collisions, and I love that part of the game."

When it comes to fullback play, Develin mentioned names from the past such as Vonta Leach, Lorenzo Neal and Daryl "Moose" Johnston and how they were "connected to a lot of good running backs." Fast-forward to the present day and Kansas City's Anthony Sherman, Buffalo's Jerome Felton and Baltimore's Kyle Juszczyk are a few fullbacks he sees representing the position well across the NFL.

"Obviously I've heard those stories the past few years about fullbacks being a dying breed, but I think the position is alive and well," he said.

"It's kind of an ever-evolving game, you follow trends, so I think the position has to ebb and flow and do a little more things other than lead blocking. There are a lot of fullbacks on a lot of rosters and a lot of them are doing a lot of good things for their respective offense. It's still out there if you look."

One doesn't have to look too hard to see Develin on the field in New England these days.

His presence is notable, especially when the Patriots are without Gronkowski.