TreVeyon Henderson’s preseason ankle injury could open the door for Corey Kiner, and the New England Patriots may need him to walk through it fast.
New England’s backfield looked set with Rhamondre Stevenson and Henderson forming the kind of one-two punch that can bother any defense when both are healthy. But Henderson now appears likely to miss time, and that leaves Kiner as the next man in line.
The Patriots brought Kiner in recently from Arizona for a seventh-round pick, and if Henderson can’t go, the 24-year-old second-year back may be asked to help carry the load right away. For a team with thin depth, that’s not a small ask.
Kiner’s NFL résumé is still very short. The 5-foot-10, 213-pound back appeared in four games for the Cardinals last season, finishing with 12 carries for 54 yards, plus two catches for 15 yards and a touchdown. It’s a tiny sample, and it doesn’t exactly give New England much to go on.
Still, if he gets the call, Kiner would be expected to spell Stevenson and do more than just fill space. The Patriots don’t have many proven answers behind the top two backs, and Henderson’s absence could force them to find one quickly.
Lan Larison is the other name in the mix. The second-year back was waived on cutdown day before returning to the practice squad. He can run and catch, but he has no NFL experience after missing all of 2025 with an injury.
The Patriots’ running backs can only do so much without help up front. The line has to create openings, and it didn’t do nearly enough of that in 2025. Four starters are back from that same five-man front, with Jared Wilson moving from left guard to center.
The one major addition is Alijah Vera-Tucker, a free-agent signing whose career has been slowed by injuries and who also missed all of 2025. Beyond him, the depth behind the starting group is thin.
That leaves Stevenson, assuming he protects the ball, and possibly Kiner to make the most of whatever the line gives them. Kiner did show real production at Cincinnati in his final college season, rushing for 1,153 yards with four touchdowns and a 5.7-yard average. If he can get anywhere close to that efficiency, the Patriots would gladly take it.
For now, though, he remains a major unknown. Mike Vrabel will be counting on someone to step in if Henderson is sidelined, and Kiner is the first candidate to answer that call. If Larison gets activated, he’d be next in line to try to pick up the slack.
If neither can deliver, the pressure only grows on Drake Maye and the revamped passing game to keep the offense moving.
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