Before trading running back Sony Michel to the Los Angeles Rams, the New England Patriots had several offers from other teams. Appearing on Gresh and Keefe Wednesday, Adam Schefter of ESPN indicated that the Patriots fielded several offers from other teams before agreeing to a deal with the Rams.
In addition to mentioning interest, Schefter also alluded to the fact that New England likes what they have in the running back room. Traded for two late-round conditional draft picks, Michel’s tenure in New England comes to an end after three seasons and a Super Bowl championship.
Now, the Patriots are comfortable with the depth they have in the room.
“I think at that point in time, people around the league knew that the Patriots had a surplus of running backs because they really like Damien Harris. They like Rhamondre Stevenson, their fourth-round running back. The have James White. They have [J.J.] Taylor. They have backs. And so I think teams were calling about Sony Michel and the Patriots initially resisted offers from other teams and then somewhere around [Tuesday], I don’t know what changed, but maybe we’re getting close to the final roster decisions and New England began crunching numbers and saw that, ‘Look, Sony Michel is entering the last year of his contract, doesn’t have a future in New England, get two picks back for him, create a roster spot and you move on from him.’
With the season opener a couple of weeks away, New England will now have to rely on some newer faces to carry the load.