Report: Patriots' Michel could miss start of season with knee injury

New England Patriots running back Sony Michel is expected to miss the entire preseason due to a procedure to repair a knee injury, sources told Jeff Howe of The Athletic.

It's also possible that Michel could miss the beginning of the regular season as a result. Michel will be getting his knee drained, according to ESPN's Mike Reiss and Adam Schefter.

Michel was selected 31st overall in the 2018 NFL Draft and is expected to be a major component of the Patriots' offense, working alongside Rex Burkhead, James White, Jeremy Hill and Mike Gillislee. While the Patriots are known to rotate their running backs frequently, Michel was widely expected to become the starter.

The 23-year-old starred at Georgia, rushing for 1,227 yards and 16 touchdowns on 156 carries during his senior year.