Patriots: 3 position battles we’re excited to watch at OTAs
By Mike Luciano
2. RB: Damien Harris vs. Sony Michel
After Michel scored six postseason touchdowns as a rookie, he looked like the next great Patriots running back. Unfortunately, injuries have slowed him down, and that has allowed Harris to start carving out his own role as the premier running back in an offense that loves to run it right up the gut.
Harris started 10 games last season, and his yards per game pace would put him right under 1,200 yards in a 17-game season. The Alabama product proved to be more reliable than the Georgia stud, and that could carry over to this camp barring some sharp reversals in fortune.
Will Sony Michel take carries away from Damien Harris with the Patriots?
The reason that Michel has been so tough to watch was the fact that the “dash” component that made him and Nick Chubb a feared “smash and dash” backfield has been sapped away by injuries. If he proves he can get back to top speed, Belichick might have to give him some of the backfield responsibility.
Michel and Harris could take some of the pressure off whoever is under center, and Belichick could return to his old-school Erhardt-Perkins ways by controlling the clock and leaning on a tight end-oriented passing game.