Latest Sony Michel injury news should be enough to push Patriots straight to a rebuild

New England running back Sony Michel underwent foot surgery in May.

All it takes is one season and things are never the same.

Adrian Peterson or Frank Gore’s company excluded, that mantra has historically been the case for most NFL running backs we’ve seen. No matter how great they may look one moment, it seems no one is more powerful than a single injury that can change everything.

Look no further than Todd Gurley, who was given a record-breaking extension by the Rams only to limp to the finish line of their 2018 NFC championship season. He has a new job now, and the Rams look all-encompassingly foolish for handing him the bag such as they did.

That’s why the New England Patriots should make zero false moves regarding Sony Michel now that insider Mike Reiss has revealed the running back underwent foot surgery in May. It’s the latest indication that the team must finally, after two decades of dominance, lean right into a rebuilding phase.

New England Patriots should pull the trigger on a full rebuild in 2020

Michel may only be 25 years old and entering merely his third season, but his history of health setbacks is already notable. He tore his ACL in high school. He had his knee drained before his rookie year, then had it scoped last summer after logging 209 carries in 13 games as a rookie. He followed this up with 247 carries in 2019 — and at just 3.7 yards per tote, these rushing attempts weren’t right down Easy Street.

Nobody wants to be told to take their medicine, but it’s time for New England to do exactly that. The AFC East isn’t exactly out of reach if everything goes right for Bill Belichick and Co., but there’s just no reason to risk catastrophe with a franchise player by running him into the ground.

Starting two training camps in a row on the physically unable to perform list would be the start of a concerning streak. This is a man who carried the ball 590 times in college at Georgia — same alma mater as Todd Gurley, folks! — before even hitting the professional ranks, a strong suggestion that he wears more mileage than most rising third-year backs.

Enough is enough. Tom Brady departing Foxborough was a symbolic moment, but it has plainly tangible consequences as well. Overloading Sony Michel as an every-down workhorse in a season like this would be a grave mistake. Instead, it’s time to retool and plan for the future.