New England Patriots RB Sony Michel out vs. Kansas City Chiefs with quad injury
Michel, who had nine carries for 117 yards in a Week 3 win over the Las Vegas Raiders, had been limited in practice all last week.
The absence of Michel comes at the same time fellow running back Damien Harris is eligible to return to the game-day roster after having opened the season on injured reserve because of a hand injury. Harris, a 2019 third-round pick from Alabama, began practicing on Wednesday.
Michel had been scheduled to speak with reporters on Thursday, but when that didn’t happen, it was an ominous sign about his health after his breakout game against the Raiders that included the two longest runs of his career (48 and 38 yards).
He has battled knee injuries since the Patriots selected him in the first round of the 2018 draft (31st overall) but has missed only three games because of them.
The Patriots have Harris, veterans Rex Burkhead and James White, and undrafted free agent J.J. Taylor at running back.
Anticipating Harris’ potential return and a possible logjam at running back, coach Bill Belichick said last week, “It’s good to have depth. We certainly had times when we haven’t had it, so it’s a good thing we have it. That’s a good problem to have — having a lot of good football players.”