The New England Patriots should dust off that old breakup excuse: "It's not you. It's me. I need to work on myself for a little."
This time, Damien Harris should be on the receiving end.
The Patriots under Bill Belichick have a long history of moving on from players sooner rather than later. Lawyer Milloy, Richard Seymour and Chandler Jones immediately come to mind. As the team transitions under a new-look configuration of coaches, Harris could easily find himself as the odd man out of the backfield rotation.
When asked if the Patriots should consider trading their leading rusher, Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer responded, "I think it’ll depend on how the young backs are coming along. Rhamondre Stevenson, as I see it, has established himself as a starting-level player. … But really, to me, much of it probably connects to the two guys New England spent draft picks on— Pierre Strong Jr. and Kevin Harris.
"If one or both take a big step forward, then that’ll give the Patriots flexibility. And thereafter, it’d really come down to New England’s getting something significantly more valuable than it might in a comp pick if the team lets Harris leave after next year."
Another factor comes into play.
Josh McDaniels isn't calling the plays anymore, and the Patriots offense is expected to look quite different under the combined supervision of senior football advisor Matt Patricia and offensive assistant Joe Judge. It's an odd setup to say the least, especially because Patricia hails from a defensive background, while Judge's focus has been special teams. Change begets change, though.
"The Patriots are really installing a zone-blocking scheme out of nowhere under apparent new play-caller Matt Patricia," NFL Network's Gregg Rosenthal noted. "This is a huge departure from their more traditional (and successful!) gap-heavy power rushing attack."
Damien Harris led the Patriots in rushing yards in each of the last two seasons, but he's a primarily a physical downhill runner. Granted, all teams employ basic zone and man-gap principles. How much they rely on either approach determines the run game's identity. Harris isn't the type of back to excel in a wide-zone system.
Besides, injuries have been an issue for the 25-year-old ball-carrier, and his grasp on a starting spot began to loosen last season when rookie Rhamondre Stevenson flashed.
From the start of December until the end of the season, Harris and Stevenson split carries. Both missed one game during that stretch. Comparatively, the former carried the ball 57 times for 316 yards, while the latter managed 65 carries for 282 yards.