The Patriots have a running back competition brewing behind Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson, and minicamp just gave us a real window into how serious it is. Mike Vrabel's coaching staff spent dedicated time during mandatory minicamp having Lan Larison, Terrell Jennings, Jam Miller, and Myles Montgomery work on route-running and pass-catching drills—the kind of work that separates fantasy camp participants from actual depth options in 2026.
This matters because in today's NFL, your third and fourth running backs need to be functional in the passing game. They're not handcuff insurance anymore; they're part of the offensive ecosystem. The fact that the Patriots are explicitly grinding these guys on receiving skills tells you Vrabel and Eliot Wolf understand that principle. Henderson has established himself as the complementary piece to Stevenson, but what happens next? That's where the competition gets interesting.
Larison (34), Montgomery (39)—both in that veteran utility range where experience counts. Jennings (26) and Miller (30) have youth and timeline flexibility. You watch these drill sessions and you're looking for who can consistently catch a swing pass and not get murdered on third-and-7. Who runs a wheel route with actual precision? Those details determine roster spots in June.
The Patriots aren't running a carousel at running back like some teams do. They're being intentional about it. Vrabel came from Tennessee, where depth and rotational flexibility were built into the identity. Expect that same philosophy here. These five backs earning their snaps on pass-catching work isn't filler activity—it's evaluation. By the end of training camp, we'll know who actually made the leap from minicamp standout to viable contributor, and who's headed to the practice squad or cut.