While most of New England has been paying close attention to the quarterback battle that's unfolding between , and , another competition may begin heating up in the backfield after , the ' incumbent starting running back, this week and began practicing. His presence now Fernando Rodney Jersey adds a rather intriguing battle between Michel and second-year running back , who has been putting together an impre sive camp after Michel started camp on PUP due to offseason foot surgery, which is the latest in what is becoming a growing list of ailments the back has needed to recover from since coming into the league as a first-round draft choice in 2018. This season is a critical one for Michel on a couple of different fronts. First, he'll need to fend off Harris to maintain his starting status in New England's backfield. Second, he'll need to be a bit more consistent with his high-level play to give the Patriots zero doubt about triggering his fifth-year option for the 2022 season, a decision that will come after this year.Last season, Michel's efficiency took a dip from what he was able to put together during his rookie season. His yards per carry dropped from 4.5 to 3.7 and Michel failed to reach 100 or more yards on the ground in any of his 16 games played in 2019. That said, the early reports out of Foxborough have credited Michel for looking faster, which may be thanks to his fresh legs after mi sing the bulk of camp. Harris, meanwhile, was selected in the third round of the 2019 out of Alabama and e sentially went through a redshirt rookie campaign, only carrying the ball four times while suiting up in just two of New England's contests. Don't take that as an indication that the back isn't talented, however, as there have been a number of Patriots backs who have gone through a similar first year to later go on and become impact players on championship clubs ( and , for example). "He goes out there and he just runs hard, and it's going to push me to run even harder," Michel said this week of Harris. "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."Harris has unquestionably earned some sort of role in the Patriots backfield, but the question now centers around how big that role will be now that Michel is back in the fold. The 214 pounder has shown promise in the pa sing game, which could give him an edge over Michel, who has yet to really grasp that skill at the level. Of course, the jury is still out on whether or not Michel will be a full go for Week 1 after mi sing most of camp due to injury, which could give Harris even more of a window to steal the job."I believe in our staff that we have, from the Logan Morrison Jersey training staff to the strength coaches to even the on-field coaches, that they're doing everything they can for me to get up to pace," Michel said when asked about being ready for the opener. "However I feel when that time comes, we're trying to make sure I'm in the best shape po sible, make sure my head's in the right place as far as the playbook and stuff, and I'm just trying to learn as much as I can." Here are some other Patriots-related news and nuggets from the past week:Harry's rookie season had some trouble getting off the ground after the 2019 first-round receiver played in just seven games in 2019. Things seemed to be trending in a negative direction on the health front once again when Harry mi sed a number of practices last week, but the pa s-catcher was able to bounce back this week and put together a solid showing."I would use excitement more than pre sure," Harry said Friday when asked about being "the guy" in New England's pa sing attack this season. "I'm really looking forward to getting out there and doing my part to help the team. I just want to do everything I can and I want to play to the standards I know I can Jake Odorizzi Jersey play at. To me, it's more excitement than anything."The Patriots will need Harry to live up to the first-round billing for the offensive to live up to its potential in 2020. He's looked at as the No. 2 pa s-catching option opposite of and, so far, head coach Bill Belichick seems to like where Harry is at heading into Year 2. "He's much more comfortable, has a much better understanding this year than what he did last year," Belichick said Friday. "He's been productive for us on the field. He still has a lot of football in front of him and a lot of growth and he works hard every day. He's a physical, tough kid that likes to compete. You can see his Eduardo Escobar Jersey competitivene s out there on the field and that allows him to get better."Again, it cannot be overstated how critical Harry's development will be to New England's offense this season. CHI WR #8 TAR24REC12REC YDs105REC TD2FL0 Reigning Defensive Player of the Year mi sed the last few days of practice last week in what Bill Belichick described as an excused absence. The Patriots star corner returned to practice on Wednesday and while he kept the specifics private, Gilmore did characterize that it was "serious." "Everything's good," said Gilmore. "Had something come up that, you know, is personal reasons so I told coach about it and we'll leave it at that."He later added: "Everybody goes through things in life. You know when it's something serious, you don't want it on your mind. Sometimes you've got to handle things. I was able to do that. Now I'm back, back happy and ready to take on each and every day getting better."Gilmore, who has two years remaining on his current deal, confirmed that his absence was not contract related as some speculated it may be. Things have changed rather dramatically for second-year quarterback Jarrett Stidham. At the start of the summer, Addison Reed Jersey he was looked at as having the inside track of becoming the Patriots starting quarterback in the wake of departure. Then, New England brought in Cam Newton, and the former league MVP has seemingly taken the lead in this quarterback competition. It also hasn't helped that Stidham has recently been limited due to a reported hip injury."There's things that happen. Sometimes you can't control everything," Stidham said this week when asked about mi sing some reps. "Now I'm back on the field and excited to be back playing with the guys, and everything like that. So I just want to take the most of my opportunities that I do have and try to make the most of them, and, like I said, continue to get better every single day."Similar to Newton's comments this week noting that in New England, Stidham looked inward when asked if he still feels like he's battling for QB1 in Foxborough. "How I view things is that every day is a competition," he said. "Whether I'm first string, second string, third string, fourth string, fifth string, I just view it as a great opportunity to get better with my teammates every single day and to compete really hard. I look at it as competing against myself and try to learn and grow every single day to help myself get be