FOXBORO -- Since Dion Lewis suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 9, James White's role as the team's "sub back" has grown slowly but surely.

In Week 10, he saw just two touches in 28 snaps. In Week 11, he received twice as many touches in 20 snaps. Against Denver in Week 12, he played in 32 of 67 snaps and got five touches. Then, in the next two weeks, he played in 49 percent of the team's total offensive snaps and saw 17 total touches.

His most productive game came in a Week 13 loss to the Eagles as he was heavily involved as the Patriots tried to mount a late comeback. He caught 10 passes for 115 yards and a touchdown that day. In Sunday's win over the Texans, White caught four passes for 38 yards and ran for a two-yard touchdown.

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady said on Wednesday that White's recent performances have helped him become a more trustworthy option in the team's offense. When discussing White's progression, Brady even mentioned a catch White made along the sidelines in Houston that was eventually ruled incomplete.

White jumped up over a Texans defensive back, caught the football, and appeared to land in bounds. Because his heel landed out of bounds after his toe touched in bounds, he was ruled out of bounds upon making the reception. Still, Brady was impressed.

"Yeah, I think he's earned everybody's trust, not just mine," Brady explained. "He's done a great job for our team when he's been in there. He's very dependable, consistent. He made a great play the other night on that catch to give him the chance to go up over the top of a safety. He runs it good. He's smart, he's tough. When he's been available, whenever he's been called upon he's answered the bell."

Brady has worked with several very capable pass-catching backs in the past, including Kevin Faulk, Danny Woodhead, Shane Vereen and Lewis. Now it's White's turn to seize that role, something the Patriots envisioned he may be able to do one day when he was selected in the fourth round out of Wisconsin the 2014 draft.

"That's a really important position for us," Brady said. "It always has been over the years. Because we're such a passing oriented offense, I think that role as a sub back is so critical. And it's not just catching, but it's also blitz pickup. It's really gaining the confidence of everybody that you know what to do, you know how to do it.

"And then you never know when your number is going to get called because Gronk [Rob Gronkowski] gets throws, Julian [Edelman] gets throws, Danny [Amendola] gets throws. Then all of the sudden man, the sub back is there and he makes a play, so it's such a critical role in the red area, on third down. James really came through for us, so it's been great to see."