Sony Michel has plowed through defenses when healthy. The New England Patriots rookie running back, a 2018 first-round pick, has showed great potential as a runner. He had a three-week span when he was averaging over 100 yards per game.

As a pass-catcher, however, he’s not quite there yet. He has caught four of eight targets for 31 yards. When Tom Brady has missed Michel, the running back seems to have run the wrong route on a few occasions.

“We’ve got to get him out there first. It’s kind of hard when — he’s missed some time,” Patriots running back coach Ivan Fears said on Wednesday. “And he’s a rookie. He’s really a little behind the eight-ball when it comes to that stuff. Right now, we just want to get him on the field, getting him playing for us and get him healthy.”

He added: “We’ve got a little ways to go with that one. Right now, we just want to get a role that he can handle for us.”

That role will likely be a continued emphasis on the run with James White handling more of the team’s pass-catching duties. In the meantime, Michel received the same number of targets in his last three healthy weeks as he did in his second week of play (3). It’s a small sample size, but it’s getting smaller not bigger.

As Fears noted, Michel has missed time. He was limited in training camp and preseason with a knee injury. That extended into the first few weeks of the season. Michel also suffered a knee injury in Week 7 and missed Week 8. He returned to practice on Oct. 26, and has been limited in the team’s practices since.

Does Fear have faith that, with enough reps, Michel could take on a role in the passing game?

“Sure, I ain’t closing no doors,” Fears said. “I ain’t closing any doors.”

In college, Michel wasn’t used often in the passing game. He had a career-high year in his sophomore season with 26 catches for 270 yards and three touchdowns.

If there’s anywhere for the rookie to expand his game, New England is a good place to do it. If Brady is throwing passes, then running backs can and perhaps should learn how to catch them.