The New England Patriots have an outstanding rushing attack this season and there is significant depth. One Patriots writer suspects the team could part ways with veteran running back Damien Harris during the offseason to give the feature back responsibilities to rookie Rhamondre Stevenson.
NESN’s Dakota Randall explains why he believes Harris’ days as a Patriot could be numbered.
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NFL Analyst Believes Damien Harris is Expendable This Offseason
“Obviously, this is pure speculation,” Randal writes. “N’Keal Harry, who requested a trade last summer, seems like an obvious candidate for a trade after the season. But we’re thinking bigger. That could be anyone other than Jones, including [Damien] Harris, one of the best young running backs in football.”
Harris showed improvement from his non-descript rookie season in 2020. In 10 games, he rushed for 691 yards, 2 TDs on just 137 rushes. That was good for 5 yards per carry. Harris has been similarly productive in 2021 with 7 times as many trips to end zone. Harris has rushed for 892 yards on 191 carries with a whopping 14 rushing TDs. That’s 4.7 yards per carry and he doesn’t turn 25 until February. So why would the Patriots want to trade Harris who is scheduled to make just $965,000 in 2022, the final year of his rookie contract?
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“Because he’s somewhat injury-prone and it’s hard to envision the Patriots committing big money to him before he hits free agency in 2023 — not when they have Rhamondre Stevenson ready for a lead-back role,” Randall answered his own question. “Plus, signing running backs to big contracts isn’t good business in the NFL, and the Patriots know that. One way or another, we believe New England will surprise fans with a big trade sometime over the next 12 months.”
Why Trading Harris Would Be a Smart Move
As productive as Harris is when he plays, it is hard to argue with the concept of him being injury prone. Since 2020, he has missed eight games, but he has been on the injury report–as he was ahead of the Week 17 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars–far more.
Harris will likely have a strong year for whatever team he plays for in 2022, but the Patriots have something special in Stevenson. His combination of size, speed and soft hands as a receiver puts him in a position to be a stat-sheet stuffing security blanket for quarterback Mac Jones. Imagining the two of them growing together over the next 3-5 years should bring a smile to the face of most Patriots fans.
Because Harris is so young and he has been productive, it’s not crazy to believe the Patriots could get back a strong draft asset for Harris. A third-round pick doesn’t sound out of the question for a player of his caliber and age.
New England traded Sony Michel ahead of the 2021 season to the Los Angeles Rams for a fifth and sixth-round pick in 2022. Michel will be 27 in February and he has had his own battles with injury. Still, the Patriots were able to flip him for draft assets.
When you consider the team could split Harris’ carries between Stevenson, Brandon Bolden (if they re-sign him), a veteran free-agent running back or a rookie, the Patriots shouldn’t have too tough of a time replacing the production.
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NFL Analyst Predicts Patriots Star Will Be Traded in the Offseason