The Patriots on Sunday once again will be forced to heavily rely on sophomore running back Rhamondre Stevenson.
Fourth-year back Damien Harris is not expected to play in New England’s Week 9 home game against the Indianapolis Colts, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. Harris missed practice all week due to an undisclosed illness.
Stevenson is more than capable of handling a large workload. The 2021 fourth-round pick has seen at least 62% of the Patriots’ offensive snaps in all but two weeks this season. Stevenson is coming off a great Week 8 road performance against the New York Jets, whom he gashed for 71 yards on 16 carries and 72 receiving yards on seven catches.
Likely anticipating Harris’ absence, New England on Saturday signed third-year back J.J. Taylor from the practice squad to the 53-man roster. Taylor was released before roster cutdowns before landing back on the Patriots practice squad.
The move will give New England a backfield consisting of Stevenson, Taylor, and rookies Pierre Strong and Kevin Harris for Sunday’s game. It’ll be interesting to see what the Patriots do once Damien Harris is healthy enough to get back on the field, as the Patriots might not want to carry five running backs on their 53-man roster. The addition of Taylor also could be viewed as a sign that injured third-down back Ty Montgomery is unlikely to return this season.
The Patriots and the Colts will kick off from Gillette Stadium at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday.
