New England Patriots
The Patriots will go from Brady to Cam Newton this season. They added the former Carolina Panther on a one-year deal for 2020. New England lacked skill position players outside of Julian Edelman last season. They are hoping for big things from N’Keal Harry and Mohamed Sanu Sr. As far as the run game goes, New England better hope that Sony Michel is healthy.
Michel eclipsed 200 carries and 900 yards in each of his first two seasons in the NFL. He is the clear feature back for the Patriots, but is still recovering from foot surgery. His timetable in unknown and he might not be ready for the season opener. This would be a massive hit to the Patriots’ offense. James White is used primarily as a receiver. He finished with 72 catches in 2019 and 87 in 2018. Rex Burkhead and Damien Harris will also fight for carries.
The Patriots signed Lamar Miller to a one-year deal for the upcoming season. Miller had three big years with the Houston Texans before missing 2019 with an ACL injury. This is a smart gamble for New England. Miller is a workhorse when healthy and could be a nice compliment to White. When Michel is healthy, he will not have to carry the entire load for the offense.
Belichick always finds a way. He seemed to do so again with the Miller signing. The running back position is one that can be deep in New England this season.
