Patriots gridiron news: Jeremy Hill’s loss rushes Sony Michel into action
It’s all about Sony Michel
After suffering his own knee injury during training camp, rookie first round pick Sony Michel will have more of a workload now that Jeremy Hill is lost for the season.
Although he has yet to make his New England Patriots debut, the expectations placed on the Georgia Bulldogs product has now increased now that the team’s running back depth has dwindled.
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Michel has been practicing with the team but was inactive for the team’s Week 1 matchup against the Houston Texans. Hill’s injury now may force the Patriots to rush Michel back quicker than they wanted to.
There is no guarantee New Patriots fans will see the dynamic running back against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 2, but it won’t be shocking if he is active and gets a few touches.
In an interview with NESN’s Zack Cox, running backs coach Ivan Fears revealed that he does see a healthy Sony Michel ready to contribute.
"“He was progressing well,” Fears said. “I was really happy when we got the pads on and I got to see him run a little bit. It looks like he’s going to be what we expected him to be. Unfortunately, we didn’t get too long into it before he got hurt, but I expect him to come back ready to go.”"
Though it would be great to have Michel back in the mix, the New England Patriots are being careful with their first-round pick. With his history of knee issues, they don’t want to rush him back into action too quickly, even though they may be forced to.
The signing of Kenjon Barner could give them a couple more weeks to get Michel ready unless there is another injury in the running back group.