Damien Harris

The Patriots' decision to trade Sony Michel last summer paved the way for a breakout from Harris, and the Alabama product seized the opportunity with five 100-yard games and 15 touchdowns on the ground while posting modest career highs as a receiver. However, minor bumps and bruises cost Harris a couple games, and during a Week 10 absence rookie Rhamondre Stevenson emerged as a strong alternative. The duo teamed up to wear down defenses in the second half of the season, with Harris finding the end zone six times in the final three weeks. As a runner, the 25-year-old Harris offers a good blend of power, balance and patience that allows him to hit holes and plow through traffic, making up for average speed and size. New England's backfield figures to be more of the same in 2022, with Ty Montgomery potentially replacing retired James White as the passing-down specialist. A pair of draft picks joining the backfield could be another complicating factor, though Stevenson's involvement was the exception rather than the rule for first-year RBs under coach Bill Belichick, so expectations should be kept in check with fourth-rounder Pierre Strong and sixth-rounder Kevin Harris. The experienced NFL starter, Damien Harris, likely retains the edge here, but Stevenson is both larger and more powerful, so week-to-week production between them could well depend on matchups or the hot hand.

After barely seeing the field as a rookie, Harris had his sophomore NFL campaign bookended by three-game absences due to finger and ankle injuries. For the 10 games in between, he was a solid addition to the New England backfield, posting three 100-yard rushing games and averaging five yards per carry in an offense that gave defenses little reason to worry about the passing game. Harris' best asset is his versatility. He's a patient runner with the power and balance to make his way through traffic, and while James White's presence gave him few opportunities to show it, Harris' college resume suggests he could handle third downs in a pinch. He doesn't have breakaway speed, meaning he needs volume to make an impact rather than being a threat to go the distance with every touch. With Sony Michel having been traded to the Rams, Harris has a chance to be the team's clear-cut option on running downs. Meanwhile, White remains entrenched as the team's top pass-catching/change-of-pace option, with power back Rhamondre Stevenson poised to serve as a complement/backup to Harris when it comes to early-down work, and 5-foot-6, 185-pound J.J. Taylor potentially mixing in as well. Though Stevenson impressed during the preseason, the Patriots have in the past tended to ease rookie backs into the mix, so with Michel -- who had been in line to see his share of touches in tandem with Harris -- out of the picture, added opportunities are now available for Harris in what could be a run-heavy attack helmed by rookie QB Mac Jones.

Just like many Patriots rookies before him, Harris essentially spent his first season in the NFL as a redshirt, playing only two games and getting only four carries. That is by no means a signal he's a washout, however. James White was equally invisible in 2014 before emerging as one of the league's most valuable pass-catching backs. While Harris doesn't have White's hands or route-running prowess, the third-round pick out of Alabama does possess a skill set that could allow him to eventually thrive as a versatile option in Bill Belichick's offense if he gets the chance - a chance that might come as soon as this season if Sony Michel fails to make an impact once again in the lead role or struggles to stay healthy. It's possible that Tom Brady's departure could force the team to lean even more heavily on its ground game, opening up touches for Harris even if he isn't starting. The jury remains out on his potential upside, but he should at least begin to make his case this season once he recovers from a training camp finger injury.

Given the parade of talented backs that passed through Alabama the last few years, Harris' consistent production is impressive - he topped 1,000 scrimmage yards each of the last three seasons despite maxing out at 172 touches. He doesn't possess any one standout ability in the backfield, but instead profiles as the same kind of jack-of-all-trades that Rex Burkhead was intended to be for the Patriots. In addition to good vision and balance to find yards between the tackles and in traffic, Harris is an effective outlet receiver who gets extra points for his solid instincts as a pass protector. What he lacks is speed or a surprising burst that would allow him to escape NFL defenders on a regular basis. His spot on the depth chart in a talented New England backfield won't do him any favors to begin the season, but the rookie's snaps and touches should increase once he proves to Tom Brady and the coaching staff that he can be trusted to do his job in almost any situation.