FOXBORO — With the playing status of running back Damien Harris looking uncertain (at best) for the foreseeable future, the New England Patriots added a bit of insurance to their stable of rushers by promoting rookie Kevin Harris to their active roster from the practice squad on Thursday.
Assuming Damien Harris’ hamstring injury keeps him out of action for Sunday’s 1 p.m. matchup with the Cleveland Browns at FirstEnergy Stadium, New England will field a running back depth chart consisting of a second-year back, with a pair of rookie rushers.
Second-year back Rhamondre Stevenson will take on the role as lead runner, with Kevin Harris and fellow rookie Pierre Strong as depth options out of the backfield. The team also has shifty back J.J. Taylor available for elevation via the practice squad.
While Stevenson has earned the confidence of the Patriots coaching staff, the rookies are still making their way at the pro level. The 21-year-old Harris has yet to take a regular-season snap, having spent the entire season, to date, on the practice squad.
Strong, on the other hand, has only seen the field on offense during late game kneels. He was a healthy scratch against Detroit, with the Patriots choosing to include just two running backs on their game day roster.
While the situation may not seem ideal, New England’s young group of running backs may be poised to showcase their skills against a Browns run defense that has had its share of struggles in 2022. Cleveland enters the game allowing 138.2 rushing yards per game (28th in the NFL) as well as 5.3 yards per carry, which ranks 30th.
Though that may be good news for Stevenson, New England’s rookie backs continue to be a work in progress.
Unlike Kevin Harris, who is a recent addition to the Pats active roster, Strong has been among New England’s top 53 since the start of the season. Since being selected by the Patriots in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft, he has been touted as the type of runner who could move with ease between-the-tackles, while demonstrating great patience in finding his seam. When coupled with his above-average breakaway speed, Strong seemed poised to make an immediate impact on the Pats ground game.
Primarily known for his speed during his time at South Dakota State, Strong also possessed the ability to receive out of the backfield, averaging 6.8 yards per catch for the Jackrabbits in 2021. Upon the retirement of Patriots captain James White in the summer, many wondered if Strong would take on the role of New England’s primary weapon on third-down, as well as their pass-catching back.
However, Strong has yet to emerge as that type of weapon … a fact that is unsurprising to coach Bill Belichick.
"Pierre's got a good skill set,” Belichick told reporters on Friday. “He's gained a lot of experience since he's been here, but he's got a long way to go."
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The coach’s assessment may be a bit sobering to those eager within the fanbase to see Strong settle into a role he seems destined to accept. Yet, Belichick was cautious to add that both the fundamentals and nuances of passing-down roles can be difficult for rookies to grasp, even invoking the names of White and Kevin Faulk as players who took years to master it.
“Obviously, the passing game is a lot harder for backs than the running game because of all the different things that can happen in the passing game,” Belichick said. “The different blitz pick-up assignments, the different blitzing techniques that the linebackers or secondary players use that they have to block is usually something that's usually pretty foreign to them … For a player to go from there, to let's say where James White or Kevin Faulk, or players like that have achieved, that's a long jump.”
In turn, the ‘other’ Harris was selected by the Patriots in the sixth round with the 183rd overall selection out of South Carolina. Despite a quiet training camp, Harris showed some promise during New England’s final preseason game against the Las Vegas Raiders, carrying the ball four times for 54 yards. He was released during final roster cuts and spent the first five weeks of the season on the Patriots’ practice squad.
Measuring in at 5-10, 221 pounds, Harris is the type of straightforward power runner that can somewhat mimic Damien Harris’ style. The Pats rookie has the talent to quickly develop into a solid rotational option in the Patriots backfield. To do so, he must show an ability to protect the football, a fact of which his coach reminded him on Friday.
“He ran the ball well [during camp and the preseason],” Belichick said of the rookie Harris. “Ball security wasn't very good. Hopefully that's better. He's worked at it and he knows that. He was a productive player at South Carolina. Had some production in preseason. We'll see how it goes.”
Despite their inexperience, both Harris and Strong are likely to see action when the 2-3 Patriots attempt to regain a .500 record on Sunday against the Browns in Cleveland.
Should they turn in respectively solid debuts, New England may be content to run with the rookies for the foreseeable future.
Follow Mike D’Abate on Twitter @mdabateNFL and Listen/Subscribe to his daily podcast: Locked On Patriots
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