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tenure in New England came to a close on Wednesday when the to the for conditional Day 3 draft capital. Despite leaving with a Super Bowl ring on his finger, the back does depart Foxborough without entirely living up to the No. 31 overall price tag that the team paid back in 2018. In truth, Michel is just the latest example of New England’s poor drafting over the last decade, particularly on the offensive side of the ball. The club even telegraphed that the end was po sibly near for Michel earlier this offseason when Joey Lane Jersey they declined to pick up his fifth-year option, meaning 2021 was going to be the final year on the back’s rookie contract.So, when you mix in Michel’s play that didn’t live up to first-round standards over the last three years and the lack of commitment beyond this coming season, it was easy to identify him as someone on the chopping block. While those were certainly factors in him being the odd man out in this backfield rotation for the Patriots, this trade does speak volumes about some of the young backs in Bill Belichick’s stable.Of course, third-year back is going to be the team’s starter to begin the regular season. He unseated Michel as the team’s lead back during the 2020 campaign, where he started all 10 of the games he appeared in. Even as he mi sed Matt Mitchell Jersey six games, Harris led the team in rushing with 691 yards on a five yards per carry clip. In this backfield, he’ll continue to get the early-down work, which is a role he thrived in last year. When given the ball on second down specifically in 2020, Harris averaged 5.9 yards per rush and converted 18 of his 39 attempts for first downs. Even if New England looks to pa s prior to third down, Harris did show an ability to perform in that setting, catching four of his five targets on first down for 52 yards. Albeit that’s a small sample size, but those totals could encourage the team to po sibly look to him more in that regard.In the same breath, Harris’ role in the pa sing game will have a low ceiling as long as is on the roster. The veteran is still New England’s main pa sing down back. Even in what could be considered a down year for the 29-year-old from a statistical standpoint, White hauled in 79% of his targets, which was a career-high outside of Ray Featherston Jersey his rookie season when he appeared in just three games. White will continue to be a key figure in the pa sing game for the Patriots and serve as the elder statesman of the group. As for the two youngsters in rookie and second-year back , their combined succe s this preseason was likely what pushed the Patriots Jafar Armstrong Jersey to ultimately trade Michel. Stevenson, a fourth-round pick out of Oklahoma, has dazzled this summer with some eye-opening runs. Through two exhibitions, he’s totaled 193 rushing yards on 7.72 yards per carry and four touchdowns. With Michel gone, expect him to be the primary early-down backup to Harris, with the po sibility of growth as the season progre ses. With Taylor, he provides an electricity that hasn’t been seen in the Patriots backfield since (running backs coach Ivan Fears has even referred to him as “Little Dion”). He impre sed during limited playing time in 2020 and has only continued to make a name for himself this summer where he has 103 yards and a touchdown while also catching all eight of his targets for 49 yards. This coming season, Taylor could be pegged for a Rex Burkhead-type role in this offense.As for the goal-line work, it really depends on how the situation develops at quarterback. If Florida State Seminoles Jersey continues to hold firm on the starting job, he’ll be the focal point of the offense in that area of the field. Last year, he logged 137 total carries (second-highest of his career) and 73 of them came inside the red zone (31 carries inside the opponent’s 10-yard line). If takes over, Stevenson and his 227-pound frame fits the mold of a more traditional goal-line back. However, Belichick also , so this could be an area where Newton continues to see playing time even if Jones ascends to QB1.
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