Patriots: What will RB rotation look like following Sony Michel trade?

It was speculated entering training camp that the New England Patriots had too many quality running backs on their roster.

Nothing proved that more than their Week 2 preseason game against the Eagles, when each one of Damien Harris, Sony Michel, Rhamondre Stevenson and JJ Taylor turned in eye-catching performances.

Clearly aware that they couldn’t keep everyone happy — and cutting one of them would be harsh, even for Bill Belichick — the Patriots traded Michel to the Rams in exchange for fifth- and sixth-round draft picks in 2022.

While Michel seems to have more explosiveness and is effective catching passes, getting two draft picks for an injury-prone RB who hasn’t lived up to his first-round billing is a tremendous piece of business by New England.

However, the Patriots still have a problem, albeit a good one, on their hands. You know where we’re headed with this one, folks.

With Michel no longer in the picture, what will the RB rotation look like?

What’s the Patriots running back rotation going to look like without Sony Michel?

This one isn’t going to be easy for Belichick and Josh McDaniels, though it’s clear that Harris is the starter after his breakout 2020 when he rushed 137 times for 691 yards (5.0 YPC) and two touchdowns.

With that in mind, Harris should be a lock to receive 15 carries per game. Anything less would be absurd given his production last season. However, he could lose out on goal-line work, which brings us to our first conundrum: Rhamondre Stevenson.

Aside from losing a fumble vs the Eagles, Stevenson has had a flawless preseason, posting 193 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 7.7 yards per carry. Assuming the fourth-round pick makes the roster, he should get the majority of the carries in goal-to-goal situations.

Getting beyond that, Stevenson will be used on long drives to give Harris a breather. He’ll also be in contention to start drives when Harris isn’t finding much success on the ground. Expect the promising rookie to get between 6-9 carries per game.

Now we get to the Patriots’ dynamic pass catchers. James White, whom we haven’t mentioned yet, had a down year in 2020, but fans shouldn’t overreact to that given the family tragedy he dealt with at the start of the season (in addition to injuries).

The 29-year-old has been a third-down specialist for New England for years and should be expected to continue in that role. However, don’t be surprised if Taylor, who’s arguably the most elusive of the Patriots’ RBs, steals some of his snaps.

Taylor pretty much guaranteed himself a role this season with his breakout showing against the Eagles, when he took 12 carries for 93 yards and a TD.

While Taylor might not be in for a big role, he’s a big play waiting to happen and the Patriots would be out of their minds to not get him the ball in open space.

That should just about do it. With Michel out of the picture, there should be plenty of snaps to go around to keep Harris, Stevenson, White and Taylor satisfied.

While the Patriots overhauled their pass-catching arsenal this offseason, this offense was built to run the football behind their fearsome line. That shouldn’t change with Michel playing on the West Coast.

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