FOXBOROUGH — Everyone always talks about the jump players make in Year 1 to Year 2, which Patriots running back Damien Harris did, but it could even more noticeable what he does in Year 3.
Speaking prior to Patriots training camp Thursday, Bill Belichick went out of his way to say how much work Harris put in this offseason.
“I think Damien's a player that improved a lot from year one to year two. This year, he's in a little different role. Now he has an opportunity to compete for a lead spot and so he has embraced that,” Belichick said. “He's worked hard. He's been here since the day after the season was over. He has worked as hard as anyone has in the offseason. I'm sure that'll help his preparation. Heading into this camp, we'll see how he does. He's worked extremely hard. He's a very dedicated player. I've been impressed by the commitment he has shown.”
It’s hard not to read in between the lines here and see that Belichick was referring to the competition between Harris and Sony Michel for the lead spot and Michel not attending any of the voluntary offseason workouts.
Harris and Michel both dealt with injuries that limited them last year, but when both were healthy towards the end of the year, Harris saw more playing time.
Things continue to trend towards Harris being the lead back and Belichick’s words Thursday just pile on to that.
In 10 games last year, Harris finished with 691 yards and two touchdowns.
Also in the running backs room are James White, J.J. Taylor, Rhamondre Stevenson and Tyler Gaffney. White and Taylor figure to be competing for third-down snaps, while Stevenson is on NFI and could be in line for a redshirt year, similar to some Patriots running backs in the past.
