There’s a decent chance that the New England Patriots will look to pull off a Damien Harris trade ahead of their Week 1 game against the Miami Dolphins.
Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated suggests that Harris could be on the block wih New England viewing his counterpart, Rhamondre Stevenson, as a starter-caliber running back.
A star with Alabama, Harris was selected in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft. He’s coming off a breakout 2021 campaign and will hit free agency next March. Given that New England has a history of trading players ahead of free agency, we wouldn’t be surprised is Harris were moved. If so, here’s a look at three ideal landing spots for the talented young back.
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Las Vegas Raiders go back to the well
New Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler have a built-in relationship with Harris dating back to their days with the Patriots. In fact, Ziegler is one of the central figures that led to New England drafting the Alabama product back in 2019. He could look to turn to the ascending young back. Harris would work great with the group of Derek Carr, Davante Adams, Darren Waller and Hunter Renfrow in Sin City.
- Damien Harris stats (2021): 929 rushing yards, 18 receptions, 132 yards, 4.8 yards per touch, 15 TD
An argument could be made that Harris would be a significant upgrade over the recent iteration of former first-round pick Josh Jacobs. Also a former star at Alabama, Jacobs did not have the fifth-year option on his rookie deal picked up for 2023. He’s also coming off a 2021 campaign in which he averaged a mere 4.0 yards per rush. If this were to happen, the Raiders would trade Jacobs.
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Damien Harris lands with the Baltimore Ravens
The J.K. Dobbins situation with Baltimore is hovering over the team heading into Week 1 against the New York Jets. Dobbins missed his entire sophomore season with a torn ACL and just made his way back to the practice field. Recently, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh provided an iffy update on Dobbins’ status.
“He looked good. He’s kind of back on track, and I thought he looked a little better than he did before — last week. So, he continues to improve, and we’ll see where it goes.”
Harbaugh said, via the ravens’ official website
Baltimore lost Dobbins and fellow back Gus Edwards for the entire 2021 campaign. The team signed Mike Davis this past offseason. He’s not a three-down back. Adding someone like Harris to go with Lamar Jackson in the backfield would make Baltimore’s offense that much better. This is magnified following the trade of Marquise Brown and with continued issues at wide receiver.
Related: Sportsnaut’s updated NFL power rankings
Los Angeles Rams pull off Damien Harris trade
Currently, Rams running backs Cam Akers and Darrell Henderson are dealing with injuries. There’s no timetable for their return to action. Looking at Akers specifically, he played just one game a season ago after suffering a torn Achilles.
The defending champion Rams have left no stone unturned in an attempt to repeat. General manager Les Snead is among the most proactive at his position in the NFL. Depending on what we learn about Akers and Henderson moving forward, it would in no way be a surprise if Los Angeles went back to the trade market to find a reinorcement. If so, Harris would make a ton of sense.