Patriots’ Newest Player Had Career Game Vs. New England

The Patriots have a long history of signing players who played well against them in the past.

The latest example: JaMycal Hasty, the running back New England claimed off waivers Monday from the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Hasty, a fourth-year pro out of Baylor, enjoyed one of the most productive games of his career at Gillette Stadium in 2020, rushing nine times for 57 yards and catching one pass for 16 yards for an injury-depleted 49ers team.

An undrafted rookie at the time, Hasty touched the ball on 10 of the 15 offensive snaps he played in that game and also played seven snaps on special teams. He has not rushed for more yards in any game since. San Francisco cruised to a 33-6 win.

It's unclear how the Patriots, who are coming off their best rushing performance of the season in a 10-6 loss to Indianapolis, intend to utilize Hasty. They already have a solid 1-2 punch with Rhamondre Stevenson and Ezekiel Elliott, who combined for 190 yards from scrimmage against the Colts in Germany and can play on all three downs.

But the lack of a traditional, receiving-focused third-down back has hurt New England's offense at times this season. Perhaps Hasty will be tabbed to fill that role. The 5-foot-8, 205-pound back hasn't put up James White-type numbers in that area, but he's a capable pass-catcher, totaling 50 career receptions on 65 targets for 316 yards and one touchdown.

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Ty Montgomery was the Patriots' top third-down back at the start of last season, but he's played just 31 offensive snaps in 2023 and hasn't touched the ball in a month outside of kickoff returns.

Hasty had a career-best 320 yards from scrimmage for Jacksonville in 2022 before tumbling down the depth chart. He played just three offensive snaps for the Jaguars this season before his release.

The 27-year-old filled the Patriots roster spot previously occupied by second-year cornerback Jack Jones, who was cut Monday.

The 2-8 Patriots have their bye this week before visiting the New York Giants next Sunday at MetLife Stadium.