New England Patriots: Damien Harris set for big role in backfield
The New England Patriots added to their backfield again in the 2019 draft, and Damien Harris appears primed to see plenty of action as a rookie.
Sony Michel made a huge impact as a rookie in 2018 after being drafted in the first round by the New England Patriots, who appear poised to give significant snaps to another first-year running back in 2019 in Damien Harris.
New England spent a third-round pick on Harris, which was something of a surprise for a team already boasting Michel, James White and Rex Burkhead in its backfield.
However, the Patriots have had a lot of success switching up the usage of their backs at different points in the season and, having lost Rob Gronkowski to retirement, are expected by many to take the opposite tack to the rest of the NFL and rely heavily on their ground attack in 2019.
Adding further depth to the backfield therefore makes sense for New England, and the move to do so is looking like an astute one, according to Jeff Howe of The Athletic.
Howe reported that, with Michel dealing with unknown injury issues, Harris could challenge him for carries on early downs and earn “a prominent role” having enjoyed a “strong spring”.
Michel’s apparent struggles with injury further vindicate the selection of Harris who, after splitting time with Josh Jacobs at Alabama, enters the league with limited tread on his tires.
Harris being relatively fresh compared to a lot of college running backs who enter the NFL puts him in an ideal spot to carry a large portion of the load in the regular season and potentially free up the likes of Michel and White to gain extra rest ahead of a near-inevitable playoff run.
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The Patriots won their sixth Super Bowl with the help of an excellent running game. If Harris’ promise in practice carries into the season and he has success behind a superb offensive line to aid the push for another Lombardi Trophy, then nobody will question Bill Belichick’s decision to build on that strength once again.