FOXBOROUGH — The New England Patriots were without a key player in their first practice back since losing to the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday night.
Running back Damien Harris wasn't spotted at practice on Sunday. He departed the Thanksgiving Day game early due to a thigh injury he suffered during the second half. Harris was seen limping to the locker room and didn't return. After the game, Harris was reportedly using crutches to move around and was still in obvious discomfort.
It's still unknown what the extent of Harris' thigh injury is and how much time he could possibly miss.
Harris has dealt with a slew of issues so far this season. He suffered a hamstring injury in the first quarter of the Patriots' Week 5 win over the Detroit Lions, which forced him to miss the following game against the Cleveland Browns. He dealt with an illness that caused him to miss the Week 9 game against the Indianapolis Colts.
This is Melissa Berman reporting that Damien Harris is heading to the locker room, you heard it here first pic.twitter.com/GtucNuef2Q
— Melissa Berman (@Melissa_Berman) November 25, 2022
Between the time Harris got hurt in Week 5 and his thigh injury he suffered in Week 12, he has seen his number of snaps drop. Rhamondre Stevenson has emerged over the time while Harris has appeared to be slowly working his way back into the lineup. He played well in the Patriots' Week 11 win over the New York Jets, rushing for 65 yards on eight carries, but was on the field for just 15 snaps.
Harris' injury is a blow to a Patriots running back room that doesn't have a lot of depth. Veteran Ty Montgomery is reportedly done for the season after suffering an injury in Week 1. Rookies Pierre Strong Jr. and Kevin Harris have done next to nothing on offense this season, while J.J. Taylor was re-added to the practice squad after being released from the active roster in recent days.
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