Damien Harris has officially overtaken Sony Michel as the Patriots' No. 1 back.
Michel returned off injured reserve three weeks ago, but has just 17 carries in the three games he's been active for and 10 of them came Thursday against the Rams.
Speaking Friday, Patriots running backs coach Ivan Fears acknowledged Michel knows his new role.
“He’s been a real team player,” he said. “He knows that Damien is really playing well, and Sony is sort of waiting for an opportunity to show what he can do, which is what you expect. He’s done a good job. He’s always up to date. Of course, he always knows what to do. He’s always ready to go. He always practices hard. He’s the kind of guy you just love having around — the kind of guy that you can depend on.
“We’re very fortunate. I’m very fortunate to have those guys. No matter who goes down, I know I’ve got a great player that can step in and keep us on track. We’re very fortunate from that standpoint at my position.”
Harris did leave Thursday's game with a back injury, although it seems it isn't all that serious.
“He was much better by the time we left, by the time the game was over, which was great,” Fears said. “It’s one of those things that you never know what shows up today or tomorrow, that’s kinda the thing about it. We’re feeling pretty good. We’re feeling pretty confident right now, but who knows? We got banged up a little bit, and we’ll go with whoever we’ve got.”
The Patriots already lost Rex Burkhead for the year to a knee injury, so if Harris cannot go it's likely Michel would take over as the lead back and J.J. Taylor would be active.
