3 former Patriots the team was wise to ignore in free agency

Damien Harris

Finding the right RB2 for Rhamondre Stevenson over the years has been difficult for the Patriots, and they're still looking for the right guy nearly four years later. Antonio Gibson's addition is intriguing, and he could be the perfect fit, but we won't know that until the start of the 2024 season.

The Ezekiel Elliott experiment last year seemed closer to their vision for a Stevenson pairing, and most felt there was a good chance the former Cowboy could return. That's not the case, though, as he remains a free agent. It appears the Patriots are on board with a Gibson/Stevenson backfield with a potential rookie from this year's draft.

They could have inquired about old friend Damien Harris, who left in free agency last year and signed with the Bills. He was expected to become their main backfield threat and was projected to have a good season since Buffalo has had lackluster production from its running backs. But he suffered a season-ending injury and remains a free agent.

Although it would have been nice to see Harris return to where his career started, the Patriots were safer off not re-signing him. He would have probably been a welcomed return by the fans, but he and Stevenson weren't the dynamic pair they were hoped to be. So, there was no use in trying to give that pairing a try once again.

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