FOXBORO - The New England Patriots’ running back picture has two names locked in at the top: Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson. The real question has been the third spot, and for a stretch this summer it looked like that job could go to just about anybody in the room.
Terrell Jennings, Lan Larison, Jam Miller and Myles Montgomery were all in the mix. Jennings opened camp on the non-football injury list, which gave the others a chance to grab the job while he was out. Larison, in particular, started seeing the bulk of the third-string work, and both rookies flashed enough to keep the conversation going.
That conversation has shifted now that Jennings is back.
Since returning from the NFI list, the third-year back has clearly moved to the front of the line for RB3. His first day back came with lighter reps, but after that, the pattern has been hard to miss: Jennings has been the favorite for the spot.
“I feel really good, man,” Jennings told reporters after the team's 13th practice of the summer about heading into a season with a familiar playbook. “It's always good coming in, knowing the playbook is a plus for me, and just knowing the same guys that I've been dealing with for a year now, it's been really good.
“And the coaches, of course, they're gonna coach you hard every year. So just staying sharp on my mental is what that's gonna help me with.”
Jennings brings something the other backs in that group don’t: actual NFL game experience. Across his first two seasons, he has carried the ball 36 times for 106 yards and a touchdown, mostly in a limited goal-line role. Larison, who was a rookie last year, never got into a game after a preseason injury ended his season before it began.
Miller, the drafted rookie, and Montgomery, the undrafted rookie, have both gotten opportunities in team drills. But at this stage, neither looks like a clear path to the roster.
What separates Jennings from the rest is not just the reps, but the way he runs. His style stands out in a room where the others are still trying to carve out their place.
“I would say my aggression, and I play big, so that's what I like to bring to (the field),” Jennings said. “I can run hard as well, and I can also get on the edge and run.”
Before Jennings was back in the fold, Larison had the lead for the third spot and even Miller and Montgomery got longer looks out of the backfield. But once Jennings passed his physical and got back in pads, the hierarchy started to settle.
Even with that reality, the group has kept things light and competitive as preseason wears on.
“We're pretty close, I'd say, as a room,” Larison said last week. “It's pretty friendly competition.
We all try to help each other, and if we see anything, we're always talking, communicating. We want the best for each other.”
Jennings sees it the same way. The room can be tight-knit and still push hard for one job, and that balance is part of what has kept the competition alive - even if the favorite now looks obvious.
“It’s good. I mean, we're friends, but we want to feel like it's a real battle out there,” he said.
“Like we telling each other, 'Yeah, man, you better tighten up because I'm coming right behind you. So it's a good, healthy, healthy bond that we got, but it's also competitive.”
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