Patriots RB Sony Michel Underwent Offseason Surgery in Surprising Revelation
By Michael Luciano
Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots will likely be running the football more in 2020 after swapping out Tom Brady for Jarrett Stidham, and that places a great deal of responsibility on former Georgia star and first-round pick Sony Michel.
Per ESPN's Mike Reiss, Michel is recovering from offseason foot surgery, which should help clean up one of the many injuries that sapped the electric back's lateral quickness last season.
News story: Patriots RB Sony Michel recovering from foot surgery, per sources. The surgery was viewed as more maintenance-based to relieve discomfort. How Michel’s rehab progresses will determine if he opens training camp on PUP. https://t.co/iH4e1JgBUn
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) June 12, 2020
Box score scouts might notice that Michel had more yards from scrimmage last season than he did as a rookie, but it was clear his play took a nosedive due to several injuries. After running for 931 yards on 4.6 yards per carry while scoring six postseason touchdowns in 2018, Michel's yards per carry dipped to 3.7 last year. Once again, he was a complete non-factor as a receiver.
There's a chance that Michel starts the season on the PUP list, which could sideline him during the early part of the 2020 season, but that will be determined by how well he recovers from the surgery in training camp.
Report: Sony Michel had offseason foot surgery https://t.co/qfdHPIvC4X
— Ryan Hannable (@RyanHannable) June 12, 2020
Belichick made his name as an Erhardt-Perkins disciple that loves to play smash-mouth football. While he got away from that following the emergence of Tom Brady, he understands that he needs to return to his old style to support the developing Stidham. Michel has a pivotal 2020 ahead of him, and he needs to return to the form that helped New England grind their way to a Super Bowl victory.