Should The Patriots Trade Damien Harris?

As a rookie, Sony Michel helped carry the Patriots to a superbowl in 2018. In 2019, he ran behind a crappy offensive line. And after the 2020 season, Sony Michel was the number 17th all time rusher for the New England Patriots. And with one more season he would've at least tied for the 10th all time Patriots rusher. However, Michel also missed 10 of his 48 games in his three seasons with the Patriots and having Harris and Stevenson on the roster, it was enough to trade him for multiple day three picks. 

Is Damien Harris following the same projection?

In 2019, then rookie Damien Harris was basically a redshirt and was kept off the field. Over Harris's next two seasons harris would rush for 1620 yards and 17 touchdowns. However, he would also miss 8 games over those two years. Furthermore, just like Michel in his final off-season with the Patriots, Harris has watched the Patriots take a quality back in the mid rounds of the 2021 draft.

Does Harris have to worry about Strong and K. Harris?

To answer this question first one has to look back at the 2021 draft. The Patriots acquired Rhamondre Stevenson in the 4th round. In his rookie season Stevenson had played in 12 games. Barely rushed over 100 times and still had over 600 yards on the ground. So there's already an established runner on the team. 

Kevin Harris is coming off back surgery and it's likely that he'll see the injured reserve in year one but when healthy, he's a nasty power back. Strong on the other hand is expected to come in to camp and compete. Now the Patriots have a history of red shirting running backs but Strong is a danger to take it to the house everytime he touches the football. In college, Strong had 10 fifty yard touchdown runs. The Patriots are likely to find out how good strongs hands are in the offseason. They're an unknown commodity and with his speed, the Patriots are gonna wanna find out what they have in Strong early.

What could the Patriots get for Damien Harris?

The Patriots got a 2022 6th round pick and a 2023 fourth roind pick for Michel. Even though Michel was a first round draft pick, production matters. However, double dipping at running back in 2022, the Patriots may have put themselves at a disadvantage. The Patriots may be forced to get rid of a good back due to over crowding. That plays well to the favor of other teams. Do not expect the Patriots to be able to match what they got for Michel unless they can find a team dealing with injuries. A 5th round pick is reasonable to be expected at this junction or a potential future 4th round. 

Overall thoughts

It's possible to see the Patriots move Damien Harris before week one but I do not think it's going to happen. The Patriots like to carry four running backs and both James White and Kevin Harris are likely to start on the injured reserve. The Patriots are going to need D.  Harris to be part of their committee along with Stevenson, Strong, and Taylor. Taylor is likely to be released if they can get White back later in the year. However, don't rule out a deadline trade if the Patriots season looks to be finished prematurely.