Former Alabama standout RB will start the NFL season on IR
By Keith Farner
Published:
A promising training camp ended with a trip to the injured reserve for former Alabama RB Damien Harris.
Harris had a solid camp for the New England Patriots, by several reports and reviews, but will be sidelined for three weeks following finger surgery. The team announced the move ahead of its game against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday. The Boston Herald reported that Harris missed a week of practices leading up to the announcement.
Patriots coaches have raved about Harris, the 2019 third-round draft pick who had a quiet rookie season after leaving Alabama as the school’s eighth all-time rusher (3,070 yards), ESPN reported.
“Damien has had a really good camp,” coach Bill Belichick said recently on SiriusXM NFL Radio. “He came to camp in very good condition. He’s taken a lot of reps. He’s handled everything in the running game and passing game very well, which he did last year. I think everybody had a lot of confidence in him but they’ve all gained a lot more in him just because of his consistency and dependability.
Harris was expected to be a potential starter, or at least split carries with former Georgia RB Sony Michel, but those plans are put on hold for a while.
A former newspaper veteran, Keith Farner is a news manager for Saturday Down South.
