In the hours leading up to the Patriots' preseason opener against the Colts on Thursday night, we are now hearing that one of their rising stars of training camp has been placed on injured reserve, meaning his 2026 season is over before it even began.
Running back Terrell Jennings, who has been on pace to take over the role as the RB3 behind Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson, has reportedly suffered an injury and will now be sidelined for the upcoming season.
What the injury is and its severity weren't made clear at the time of the announcement, but given that he was placed on IR, it would be fair to assume it's bad enough for the Patriots to have already signed another running back.
The team announced they brought back JaMycal Hasty, who has spent time in New England previously, to round out their backfield now that Jennings' absence leaves a massive hole on offense.
It's a devastating blow for an already thin group, and now they'll either be looking to upgrade the roster more ahead of Week 1, or hope that one of their remaining players can go on an impressive streak to end the summer and bring some optimism that they're still in good hands.
The door for the RB3 spot couldn't be more open after Terrell Jennings' injury
For most of the offseason, Jennings has been the frontrunner to be the top backup option for the running back room. Although he had some tough competition to beat out, his experience with the Patriots made him the top contender for the role.
Now that he's sidelined, however, that spot is up for grabs again, and it's looking like Lan Larison's job to lose.
The second-year RB had an impressive summer last year until he faced the same fate as Jennings, as he suffered an injury that forced him to miss the entirety of his rookie season. Since his return earlier this year, he has made some positive strides and looked like he could be the reliable backup, so that appears to be back on now that Jennings is out of the picture.
It's an opportunity Larison will need to take advantage of, especially since the Patriots have already signed Hasty, who has experience with the team already. But because he wasn't a major contributor in his previous tenure, Larison could easily leapfrog him on the depth chart by rising to the occasion.
He will also have a leg up on his competition because Hasty didn't play in 2025, so there are a lot of question marks about how he will look once he gets back on the field.
Time will tell, but it looks like Larison has a chance to make the 53-man roster this year if he can string together standout practices and preseason showings, starting with Thursday night's game against the Colts, assuming he will see some action.
Add us as a preferred source on Google