Sony Michel Traded To The Los Angeles Rams

The New England Patriots are trading running back Sony Michel to the Los Angeles Rams for a pair of conditional draft picks. The Rams were in desperate need of help at the running back position after losing star Cam Akers for the year to a torn Achilles earlier during the offseason.

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The trade ends a three-year stint for Michel in New England after the Patriots drafted him out of Georgia in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft. He rushed for 931 yards and six touchdowns in just 13 games his rookie season as the Patriots went on to win Super Bowl LIII against the team Michel now calls his.

Michel has had a solid camp to this point and looked to have a bit more consistency to his game as noted by some of his coaches.

“I’ve always liked him as a runner, but now he’s shown to us that he can also play in the passing game and be very effective,” said Patriots running backs coach Ivan Fears just the other day. “He’s had an awfully good camp.”

Given the timing, this could have been a classic case of Fears selling the goods but, if you have watched Michel at all during camp and the preseason, there is a noticeable difference in how he was running.

The move also clears a bit of a logjam at the running back position. Left on the roster are James White, Damien Harris, Brandon Bolden, J.J. Taylor , and Rhamondre Stevenson. Harris has been the presumed starter with much of the offseason and Stevenson has burst on the scene after being selected in the third round of this past year’s draft. Now, he will have an opportunity to avoid the red-shirt treatment during his rookie season.

The Patriots continue with joint practices with the Giants and will finish off the preseason against New York on Sunday.