Going into the regular season, the New England Patriots seemingly feel confident in their two-headed punch at running back. Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson will split the majority of carries, just as they did a season ago.
That still leaves a major question for the Patriots. Who is going to be their third option at running back?
Terrell Jennings is out for the season and was waived by the Patriots with an injury settlement. Then, UDFA running back Myles Montgomery was waived on August 12th. Still, the Patriots have a few interesting options.
Lan Larison and Jam Miller are both in competition for the job, but both have also recently missed some time due to injuries. Then, Hassan Haskins and JaMycal Hasty are also battling for a spot and may be in a position to get extra touches against the Cleveland Browns in the Patriots' final preseason game on Thursday.
As it stands now, Lan Larison does seem like he's leading the pack to become the New England Patriots' third running back. That's despite missing practice on Monday and being in a non-contact jersey on Tuesday.
"Larison has had a solid preseason. He looks like a backup third-down back," Mark Daniels of MassLive wrote . Do the Patriots want a prototypical running back to back up Rhamondre Stevenson?"
Larison had 33 rushing yards and a touchdown in the Patriots' most recent preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles . However, the majority of the running back touches in the first two games have gone to Jam Miller. Miller has 25 carries for 91 yards in those two preseason games.
Miller, notably, was a seventh-round draft pick this year. While that's more investment than the team has in Larison, who was undrafted in 2025, it's not such an overwhelming amount of investment that he can't be beaten out for a job.
A foot injury during the 2025 preseason forced Larison onto IR for the entire season. So, this is the first chance he's had to make an impact on the field for the Patriots.
The New England Patriots recently got a scare. Running back TreVeyon Henderson left practice early on Monday after slipping on the grass and suffering an apparent issue with his right foot or ankle.
On Tuesday, Henderson wasn't able to practice again. It's doubtful that the Patriots will risk him in a preseason game against the Browns, too.
What's unclear, however, is just how severe the Henderson injury is right now. He left practice under his own power but the exact nature of the injury is still undisclosed. That's a major issue for a second-year player who is expected to make a big contribution to the Patriots this season.
That injury also further spotlights the race for the third running back slot on the Patriots. If Henderson is forced to miss time or is limited in some capacity, then the responsibilities of that third running back become that much more important.
The Patriots will wrap up their preseason on Thursday at 8:00 p.m. EST. There, they'll have a road game against the Cleveland Browns.
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