The Patriots’ preseason opener against the Colts is less about the scoreboard and more about the players trying to grab hold of a job.
That makes Thursday night a big stage for depth pieces who are still trying to force their way onto the roster. The top names are set in several spots, but the back half of the depth chart is where the real pressure lives right now.
For a few players, a strong showing could push them closer to safety. A quiet night could make Friday a lot more uncomfortable.
One of the clearest examples is at running back, where the top of the room is already spoken for. Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson are locked in as the 1-2 punch for Drake Maye, which leaves the rest of the group fighting for whatever scraps remain. Terrell Jennings is right in the middle of that fight.
Jennings has spent the last two seasons with the Patriots and has only managed 106 rushing yards and a touchdown in that stretch. Even so, his experience gives him a real shot to separate himself from the pack if he puts together a clean preseason performance. He’s competing with Lan Larison, who flashed last summer before a season-ending injury, and Jam Miller, a rookie with plenty of upside.
That competition should keep Jennings on edge. If he takes care of business against the Colts, he could make the roster conversation easier for the team. If he doesn’t, it gets tough to see him hanging around much longer.
Wide receiver brings a different kind of squeeze. The top of that room is set with A.J.
Brown and Romeo Doubs, and the next tier already includes Kayshon Boutte, DeMario Douglas, and Mack Hollins, all of whom have made their mark this summer and last season. That leaves Efton Chism fighting for one of the remaining openings.
His main challenger appears to be Kyle Williams, a 2025 third-round pick who has, by all accounts, lagged behind at camp. Those two are likely to be tied together for the rest of the month, and special teams could end up being part of the decision too.
Chism doesn’t have the benefit of draft status to lean on, which makes every snap matter a little more. He’ll need to show the kind of spark he flashed last year if he wants to stay in the mix.
The cornerback room has flown a bit under the radar, mostly because Carlton Davis and Christian Gonzalez give the Patriots one of the best duos in the league, with Marcus Jones right behind them. But the rest of the depth chart is still unsettled, and Kindle Vildor is one of the players with a chance to claim ground.
Vildor arrived this offseason and enters his seventh season, which gives him an edge over some of the competition. He’s already projected near the top of the outside corner depth chart, and a strong night against the Colts would only help his case.
He’s battling Kobee Minor and rookie Karon Prunty, and because he’s the most experienced of the group, he should see the most action Thursday night. That makes it a real opportunity - and one he can’t afford to waste.
In Other News...
Patriots Preseason Tie Exposed The Same Concerns Fans Feared
The Patriots preseason tie with the Colts did what these August games often do for New England: it surfaced a little bit of everything. There were encouraging signs from quarterback Tommy DeVito in the backup battle, and the defense again showed enough depth to suggest the roster has real substance beyond the starters. Even in a game that ended without a winner, the Patriots came away with a clearer view of where the competition is heating up and where the team has enough talent to feel better about the early shape of the roster.
Still, the familiar worries were hard to miss. The kicking unit left questions hanging, the offensive line was dealing with injuries, and coverage against tight ends remains an area that can be attacked. There is also a real fight brewing at backup running back, which only adds to the sense that several roster spots are still unsettled. For a team trying to turn preseason reps into dependable depth, the tie was useful less for the score than for the list of problems it put back in view. [Read more 🡒]
Patriots Took A Chance On An Unusual Athlete For One Reason
Mitch Van Vooren took one of the more unusual routes youll find to football, moving from track standout to college gridiron hopeful with the kind of athletic background that can make evaluators stop and look twice. A former All-Big East outdoor hurdler at Marquette, he used an extra year of eligibility from the COVID-19 pandemic to chase football, then transferred to St. Norbert College so he could keep playing the sport while still competing in track.
At St. Norbert, Van Vooren managed to stay elite in both lanes, earning First Team All-American honors in the 400m hurdles even as he pursued football full time enough to keep an NFL dream alive. For a Patriots team willing to take a chance on rare movement skills and developmental upside, his path is the kind of background that at least explains why he got a look in the first place. [Read more 🡒]
Patriots Backfield Battle Just Opened The Door For A New Favorite
The Patriots backfield picture got a little clearer, and a little more crowded, before their preseason opener. Terrell Jennings landed on injured reserve with an undisclosed injury, opening a roster spot that New England quickly filled by signing JaMycal Hasty. For a running back group already trying to sort out depth behind the top of the chart, it was the kind of move that can quietly change the shape of a competition in August.
It also matters because the battle for the third running back job had already been worth watching, and now Hasty is suddenly part of it. Hassan Haskins, Lan Larison and rookie Jam Miller were among the players in the mix, and the Patriots now have one more experienced option to evaluate as they work through the preseason. For a team that values flexibility in the backfield, the next few weeks should tell us a lot about which runner has the edge when roster decisions get serious. [Read more 🡒]