New England Patriots running back Damien Harris was one of the more anonymous players on the team’s depth chart last season, even after Bill Belichick picked Harris in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft.
Harris, even with solid draft status, landed at the bottom of a talented group of running backs — including Sony Michel, James White, Rex Burkhead and Brandon Bolden — who taught him the ropes during his rookie season. The entire group stayed intact this offseason.
“The biggest thing for me last year was learning as much as I could,” Harris told Patriots.com writer Paul Perillo. “Everybody’s path is different. I focused on learning as much as I could and learning from the older guys in the room. There’s a lot of experience in that room. Any opportunity to improve physically or mentally that was my mindset all year.”
Harris, who finished 2019 with four carries for 12 yards, was asked what message the Patriots veterans gave him.
“They all played their part in helping me learn and develop,” Harris said, per Perillo. “The message from all of them is the same: Be ready because you never know when your time will come and you don’t want to miss it. Stay the course, keep learning and be available.”
It will be interesting to see if 2020 is more of the same for Harris, who will be in competition with the exact same group of backs. Without an injury, it’s easy to imagine the second-year back spending just as much time on the bench while Michel gets a large workload. That said, Michel had a rough season at 3.7 yards per carry. His starting spot is likely more vulnerable than it was in 2019. Perhaps a year of experience can help Harris get more touches, even in a still-crowded running back group.
