FOXBORO, Mass. — After a long offseason away from the field, Sony Michel is working his way back to full speed in New England Patriots training camp.
The third-year running back opened camp on the active/physically unable to perform list following offseason foot surgery. He was cleared Wednesday and was a full participant in each of the Patriots’ last three practices.
Michel has looked smooth and explosive in his return to action, but he indicated after Friday’s in-stadium practice that he had yet to hit his stride.
“I felt good,” Michel said. “There is a theory that me missing as much practices as I did, I’m supposed to have fresh legs. But I’ve been working my way up to that point. But I felt good just being out there.”
Injuries have plagued Michel dating back to his college days at Georgia. Though he’s appeared in all but three games for the Patriots since being drafted in the first round in 2018, he’s missed time in training camp in each of his first three NFL summers.
Michel’s latest ailment sidelined him for the first 12 practices of this year’s truncated camp, which began two weeks later than usual due to COVID-19 precautions.
“One thing about being in this profession, it’s all about being patient,” Michel said. “Controlling what you can control and just working your way up to a point that you feel like you’re ready to go. You can’t ever take a shortcut. You can’t ever cut the process short. You have to deal with it. And as long as you just grind through the process and work hard, everything will be fine.”
While Michel recuperated, Damien Harris emerged as a legitimate contender for his role as New England’s lead back. The 2019 third-round pick has been one of the standouts of Patriots training camp after logging just four touches as a rookie last season.
Veteran newcomer Lamar Miller was viewed as another candidate for the top job, but he remains on PUP and has yet to practice.
“(Harris) goes out there and he just runs hard, and it’s going to push me to run even harder,” Michel said. “Him going out there and making plays would benefit the team, and (I want to do) whatever I can do to come in and do the same thing.”
Michel led the Patriots in rushing yards in each of the last two seasons, but his yards-per-carry averaged dropped from 4.5 in 2018 from 3.7 in 2019. He’s also yet to show legitimate pass-catching ability, totaling just 19 career receptions with zero touchdowns in 29 games.
Thumbnail photo via New England Patriots
