The New England Patriots may have a lot of camp competitions to sort through this summer, but the one that stands out most is the battle for the third running back job.
Behind Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson, the spot has been a moving target. Last season, the Patriots kept cycling through options without finding much that lasted.
Antonio Gibson tore his ACL early in the year. Terrell Jennings got opportunities before getting hurt.
D’Ernest Johnson was added to the practice squad and later got work on the active roster for the postseason. None of it really settled the position.
That’s why this summer matters. The Patriots have a real chance to decide who they want as RB3 for 2026, and the group in the mix includes two holdovers from last season, Jennings and Lan Larison, along with two rookies in Jam Miller from Alabama and Myles Montgomery from UCF.
Stevenson and Henderson are expected to be in the lineup when Week 1 arrives, but running backs coach Tony Dews made it clear this spring that he wants no one getting too comfortable.
"You should never be content and comfortable, because in this league anybody can take a job at any point," running back coach Tony Dews said this spring. "We’ve seen it through the years, and then obviously if you play this game, there’s a 100 percent chance that you’re going to fall into some type of injury at this point, and the idea is if someone gets dinged up, that there’s not a drop-off when the next person has to play."
At the moment, Larison looks like the frontrunner. The second-year back out of U-C Davis flashed during last summer’s camp as a rookie before a season-ending injury in the preseason opener. This spring, he’s back healthy and moving with noticeably more burst, and he picked up multiple reps with the top offensive unit during OTAs.
Jennings brings a different kind of argument. He’s the veteran in the room and already has NFL game experience, which matters.
He was just placed on the active/physically unable to perform list this week, so he still hasn’t been cleared for football work. Once he’s back, though, he has shown enough to make a case.
The rookies are harder to read right now. Miller, the Patriots’ seventh-round pick, runs well between the tackles, but pass protection is a concern. On the other hand, he was heavily involved on Alabama’s special teams units, and that could help him carve out a role.
Montgomery, who went undrafted, doesn’t bring the same special teams value, but he does offer a smooth running style and some speed. During OTAs, there were several snaps where he bounced outside and showed that burst. He’ll need a strong preseason to get serious traction in the roster conversation.
Nothing is locked up yet, but the sense is that this job will go to one of the two veterans rather than a rookie. Jennings already showed enough last year to stick around for seven games, while Larison has the kind of hands that fit the receiving-back role in a Josh McDaniels’ offense. He also took reps at kick returner in the preseason in 2025.
That doesn’t shut the door on Miller or Montgomery. It just means the early trust and versatility seem to be leaning toward Jennings and Larison. Between offense and special teams, both have a path, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if one of them is on the field in Week 1 in Seattle.
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One possible fix would be a bold trade, with the kind of move that would instantly change the conversation around the front seven. If that kind of deal never materializes, the Patriots could still turn to the veteran market and look for a name like Jadeveon Clowney, but either path points to the same reality: this is a team that knows it has to add more juice off the edge and may not be done shopping yet. [Read more 🡒]