The New England Patriots will host their first public training camp practice for the 2026 season on Saturday, July 25, offering fans a chance to see the new Drake Maye-A.J. Brown connection up close with their own eyes.
Those in attendance would be wise to keep one eye on the running back group as well this summer. The battle for the No. 3 role behind Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson could quietly be one of the team’s fiercest of the summer.
Entering camp, the top contenders for the job include seventh-round rookie Jam Miller, undrafted rookie Myles Montgomery, and the returning Lan Larison and Terrell Jennings. With three backs all but locked onto the roster — Stevenson, Henderson, and fullback Reggie Gilliam — it seems unlikely that head coach Mike Vrabel would choose to carry four on this year's running back depth chart.
The Patriots kept three backs on the initial 53-man roster last season, with Antonio Gibson assuming the No. 3 role. The Tennessee Titans, in Vrabel’s final year as their head coach back in 2023, initially carried three backs that year as well.
So this summer’s No. 3 running back will likely need to flash a similar skillset as Gibson did last summer — the ability to not only gain tough yards, block, and catch the football, but also be a core special teams contributor.
Through that lens, Miller should enter the start of training camp with the inside track, with the intriguing Larison nipping at his heels.
Jam Miller’s special teams prowess could be his greatest strength this summer
Given his smaller frame at 5-foot-10 and around 210 pounds, Miller fits the mold of a prototypical third-down back. He wasn’t a major part of Alabama’s passing attack in college, though, recording just 40 total catches over his four seasons.
He’ll obviously need to prove he can help the Patriots in that area this summer, and in blitz pickup as well, but coaches may already be swooning over his other intangibles. Some of the pluses highlighted by highly regarded draft analyst Dane Brugler were Miller’s character, physical running style, and close attention to detail, like protecting the football.
The kicker? “Scouts are bullish about his potential on special teams, which will help separate him on a roster,” Brugler wrote in his pre-draft analysis for The Athletic.
NBC Sports Boston’s Phil Perry included Miller on his early 53-man roster projection earlier in the spring, after previously highlighting his special teams experience as his pathway.
“A hard-charging runner with an excellent reputation because of his football character, Miller looks like he'll need to prove himself in the kicking game in order to earn a roster spot,” Perry wrote. “On special teams, where he played over 300 snaps in 2022 and 2023, his speed (4.42-second 40-yard dash) could make him a real factor.”
The back who will probably best pass the eye test in camp is Larison, who looked primed to force his way onto the Patriots’ roster last summer before suffering a season-ending injury. In terms of your more dynamic third-down running back as a pure run-pass threat, Larison has a real chance to be that guy.
But New England’s No. 3 running back will likely double as a core special teams player this season, and Miller’s experience and Vrabel-approved traits should give him the early edge entering Week 1 of camp.
Add us as a preferred source on Google