Running Backs
An era of Patriots lore ended Thursday when
James White announced his retirement. White had been hampered (and already placed on PUP) by a debilitating hip injury, so the team is at least prepared for life without him. They’ve added pass-game specialist
Ty Montgomery to camp; he and holdover
J.J. Taylor continue to split reserve snaps on passing downs. But Boston media seems convinced it’ll be
Rhamondre Stevenson reaping most of White’s vacated pass-catching role. Boston Herald’s Andrew Callahan
points out that Stevenson “flashed soft hands” and “became the rare [Patriots] rookie running back to contribute right away” in 2021, and offseason reports on Stevenson
were nothing short of glowing. It’s fair to salivate over the idea of the impressive size/speed prospect taking over three-down duties. But Stevenson’s value would shoot into the stratosphere if presumed starter
Damien Harris were to be dealt away, as was
pondered last week by SI.com’s Albert Breer. Harris is coming off a 15-touchdown season but feels expendable as an injury-prone prodder in such a deep, versatile backfield. Neither saw action in the preseason opener, so it doesn’t appear Harris is actively sitting on the trade block. But the Patriots are never passive, and it would surprise no one to see him follow the
Sony Michel route out of town in a contract-year trade. The team used the opener to get a better look at its rookies,
Pierre Strong Jr and
Kevin Harris, and the results weren’t encouraging. Neither
has dazzled in camp, and the pair combined to turn their 14 touches into just 32 yards against the Giants.