Getty Damien Harris #37 of the New England Patriots leaves the field.
W
hile New England Patriots fans are likely well aware, Damien Harris has had a spectacular last two seasons running the ball. A stat from Pro Football Focus proves just that.
Harris enters the 2022 season after a career year in 2021. The running back had 202 carries for 929 yards and 15 touchdowns.
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Patriots fans have been able to see Harris grow as a player ever since he was drafted in the third round of the 2019 NFL draft. The ‘Bama running back finds himself in a league of his own with his performance the last two seasons according to Pro Football Focus.
Only Running Back with 85+ grades in each of the past two seasons:
Damien Harris👀
In 2021, Harris received an overall grade of 87.8 and in 2020 he received a 90.3.
Overdue Respect
PFF’s appreciation of Harris comes on the heels of FanDuel ranking the running back 15th in the AFC at his position, just ahead of former Patriots back Rex Burkhead.
What would you change here? 🧐
For comparison, Harris had more yards and touchdowns than seven of the players ahead of him. JK Dobbins missed the season due to an ACL injury and Travis Etienne has yet to play in the NFL.
Harris was tied for second in the entire NFL with his touchdown output and his 929 yards were 10th in the league in 2021. Fans were left stunned that he was outside the top 10. Harris also had 37 forced miss tackles and 22 explosive runs (runs of over 10-plus yards).
Harris’ Role in 2022
Harris will continue to get plenty of carries in 2022. In 2021 he continued to rack up yards at a quality rate with 4.6 yards per carry (16th in the NFL). He was also tied for 17th in the league with 202 carries.
While the Patriots will feel confident in Mac Jones after a successful rookie season, New England will still need to rely on the running game. If Harris is still able to rack up yards as he did in 2021, he will open up the passing game for Jones and the offense.
Harris will still be the lead back for New England. While James White will be returning after missing the majority of the 2021 season, he is more of a pass-catching back than a running back. Fans also saw J.J. Taylor participate in throwing sessions with Jones, indicating that he could have an increased role in the passing game.
The only player that has the potential to take any snaps away from Harris is Rhamondre Stevenson. Stevenson had a quality rookie season racking up 606 rushing yards and 5 touchdowns in his rookie season.
Still, Stevenson is far from the caliber player Harris is. While his career is still young, it’s expected that Harris will continue to get the majority of the carries.
So Harris is truly in a league of his own with his performance these last two seasons for the New England Patriots. As the 2022 NFL season continues to inch closer, Harris will continue to be a major part of the offense and look to have a third straight season with an overall grade of 85 or more. With how well he has progressed as a player, it wouldn’t be surprising.