Lan Larison and Tanner Arkin appear to be leading the way in a pair of the Patriots' most important position battles Getty
The New England Patriots appear to have found a way to improve on paper heading into the 2026 campaign after making a stunning run to the Super Bowl last season. Now that the team has assembled its new roster, putting the pieces together is key, and that's a big part of what training camp is for.
On the surface, New England doesn't have many high-profile position battles, with many of its battles being for depth roles. As we saw last season, though, those jobs are just as important as the starting gigs, so, with that in mind, it appears that a pair of frontrunners have emerged for the Patriots at two of their most important position battles on the offensive side of the ball.
The most intriguing position for New England on either side of the ball is wide receiver, as it has a handful of guys who are competing for what could end up being only five or six spots on the roster. Beyond that, though, there are some notable depth options up for grabs on offense, particularly at the running back and tight end positions.
At running back, Rhamondre Stevenson and Treveyon Henderson will continue leading the way, but with Antonio Gibson no longer around, the No. 3 spot is up for grabs. Similarly, the No. 3 role is open at tight end, as somebody is going to need to step up behind Hunter Henry and Eli Raridon now that free agent signing Julian Hill is already out for the season.
The incumbent Terrell Jennings is competing alongside the likes of Lan Larison and Myles Montgomery at running back, while Tanner Arkin and CJ Dippre appear to be the main tight end options. It's still very early in training camp, but according to spectators, Larison and Arkin appear to be leading the way for the RB3 and TE3 jobs, respectively.
"RB Lan Larison and TE Tanner Arkin appear to be early leaders for RB3/TE3," Patriots insider Evan Lazar shared in a post on X.
GettyLan Larison and Tanner Arkin appear to be leading the way in a pair of the Patriots' most important position battles
One of the themes from early on in Mike Vrabel's stint as the Patriots' head coach is his desire to foster as much internal competition as possible. We saw that last year when the team's two presumed starting safeties, Jabrill Peppers and Kyle Dugger, both lost their jobs during training camp, with Jaylinn Hawkins and Craig Woodson emerging to become starters.
Something similar could be happening with Jennings and Dippre, both of whom were with the team last year. They will have every opportunity to earn a roster spot, but the early signs indicate that they both are behind Larison and Arkin, respectively. Sure, there's been some drama surrounding Vrabel this offseason, but with New England back on the field, he is quickly proving once again that his intense coaching is bringing out the best in his players.
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