Running back Sony Michel became the New England Patriots’ offensive focal point during their playoff run to win Super Bowl LIII last season.

The rookie, who went 31st overall in the 2018 NFL Draft, had experienced mixed results during the regular season, but still finished with 209 carries for 931 yards and six touchdowns in 13 games. In the playoffs, he shone on the ground, with 71 carries for 336 yards and six touchdowns in three games. He was good for 4.7 yards per carry, and began to look like the playmaker the Patriots justified drafting in the first round. Without a doubt, Michel was still playing conservatively, with a propensity to put his head down and make contact rather than breaking tackles and eluding defenders.

But perhaps in 2019, Michel will get the opportunity to shine as the explosive playmaker he was at Georgia. Interestingly enough, the addition of rookie running back Damien Harris could help Michel do just that. Harris will join the team as a big and powerful back, and will likely do between-the-tackles running. While that may detract from some of Michel’s production, the Patriots will have another player who can put a hurt on the defense. And Belichick likes having someone in that role: the bruiser. In fact, Belichick used to criticize fullback Heath Evans for juking defenders; the coach wanted Evens to “beat down” those tacklers. Last year, Michel did a lot of that. But if Harris runs with power, perhaps that will give Michel more opportunities to run with finesse.

The other missing link for Michel will be contributions in the passing game. The Patriots struggled to get the running back involved with only seven receptions on 11 targets for 50 yards during the regular season. In the postseason, he had one catch on three targets. They basically abandoned the idea of Michel as a pass-catcher in 2018. But that could change this year.

“It’s going to get better. Believe me,” Patriots running back coach Ivan Fears told Patriots Wire on Feb 1. “He doesn’t realize how good he is yet. It’s still an exciting thing to him: ‘Oh [expletive].’ But soon or later, he’s going to realize how good he can be.”

In order for a Patriots running back to contribute on third down, he has to first prove himself in blitz pickup. After that, he can contribute as a pass-catcher. While Michel was solid as a pass-protector, he was a little slow to the uptake from a route-running standpoint – appearing to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. That could have been because Michel missed training camp due to his knee injury, which is a key time to get new pass-catchers acquainted with the necessary timing for Tom Brady.

“He wasn’t a part of a big passing game when he was in Georgia, but he caught the ball,” Fears said. “He made plays when he had a chance in space. He was excellent in blitz pickup, which he still is. So there’s no reason to believe he can’t run the routes we need him to run.”

As Michel begins to carve out his niche in a crowded Patriots backfield, he’ll have to show he can do more than what he did last season. At the same time, he was nearly a 1,000-yard rusher, so there’s plenty to build upon as he enters his second year with New England.