Report: Patriots running back Damien Harris likely to miss ‘multiple games’ with hamstring injury

It appears the New England Patriots’ running back depth has taken another hit. Damien Harris, who left Sunday’s game against the Detroit Lions with a hamstring injury, is reportedly expected to miss multiple games due to the issue.

According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the fourth-year man will be undergoing further testing but the belief is that “he’ll be out for a bit.”

Harris, 25, suffered the injury in the first quarter of the Patriots’ 29-0 win over Detroit. His final snap of the day came on the last play of the first quarter, a run for no gain on 2nd-and-1.

There were no obvious signs of injury, but Harris was still forced to leave the field and was not spotted again for the rest of the day. He was initially announced as questionable to return in the second quarter, and eventually ruled out at halftime.

With Harris out, Rhamondre Stevenson served as the bell-cow down the stretch and delivered the best performance of his career. The only other running back on the game-day roster — rookie Pierre Strong Jr. was a healthy scratch — Stevenson carried the football 25 times for 161 yards. He also gained 14 yards on two receptions.

While it remains to be seen how the Patriots will handle their running back situation during Harris’ expected absence, the belief is that Stevenson will serve as RB1. The depth behind him, meanwhile, is more of a question mark.

The Patriots have the aforementioned Pierre Strong Jr., a fourth-round pick earlier this year, on the active roster as well. He has played a marginal role so far this season, however. Meanwhile, J.J. Taylor and Kevin Harris are on the practice squad with Ty Montgomery on injured reserve. Montgomery is eligible to be activated starting this week, but head coach Bill Belichick said on Monday that he would not be able to return to practice just yet.