The New England Patriots’ RB3 situation was one of the most interesting position battles of the offseason. Terrell Jennings appeared to be the runaway favorite initially, but he was placed on season-ending IR ahead of the team’s first preseason game.
Following that, two backs looked to have opportunities to make the squad: Lan Larison and Jam Miller.
Larison was a superstar at UC Davis in the FCS, recording over 2,300 total yards in his final season with the Aggies. After an encouraging preseason opener in 2025, he was placed on season-ending IR with a broken foot.
This preseason, he was the team’s primary receiving back, totaling 27 touches for 118 yards and a touchdown. While he averaged just 2.2 YPC, his 26.3 receiving yards per game were impressive.
Miller’s omission from the final preseason game originally appeared to be good news, as it appeared the former Alabama back was set to make the squad, and the team didn’t want to risk injury. He took 25 carries over the first two games for 91 yards, 3.6 yards per carry. He also had one drop.
In the end, Miller was let go with an injury designation, possibly a reason he didn’t play in the final game.
While Larison offered receiving ability and Miller offered strong between-the-tackles running, neither player could successfully combine both facets of the game. That led to the team turning to the trade block to find their third running back.
Corey Kiner offers something different to the Patriots’ other backs
On Saturday, the Patriots sent a 2028 seventh-round pick to the Cardinals for running back Corey Kiner. The pick was the same one the team acquired for Kayshon Boutte, completing the deal: Boutte for Kiner and Jaylen Reed.
Kiner didn’t see much action in 2025: just 30 offensive snaps, with six more on special teams. In the preseason, he featured in four games for the Cardinals, totaling 98 offensive snaps, with 8 more on special teams.
On 39 attempts, he totaled 180 yards and a pair of touchdowns, for 4.6 yards per carry. Nine of his carries went for first downs, and four went for 10+ yards. He also caught five balls for 28 yards.
Despite standing at 5-foot-9, 209 pounds, Kiner is, admittedly, not a natural receiver out of the backfield. Across his four college seasons at LSU and Cincinnati, he totaled 32 catches for just 172 yards in his career.
As a runner, however, he was excellent. He totaled 2,200 yards over his last two seasons, while maintaining a 5.5 average in both years. He also scored nine times.
He offers more upside as a rusher than Larison and more upside as a receiver than Miller. He was also a better collegiate rusher than Miller, making him a prime candidate for the third running back role.
He returned just two kicks during his college career, but he could find his way in the mix this year, similar to how D’Ernest Johnson grew into the role last season after returning eight kicks in total from 2022-2024.
At just 24, Kiner is a young option with upside who could be a key piece to the backfield for years to come. While it isn’t a trade that will make headlines, it appears to be a savvy one that takes advantage of Arizona’s deep backfield.
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