Patriots Running Back Competition Will Come Down To This

FOXBORO, Mass. — If you’re down at Gillette Stadium at any point this summer, chances are you’re eyes will be glued to Patriots quarterback Drake Maye and his pursuit of Jacoby Brissett’s starting job.

New England is home to another pretty exciting competition, however.

Rhamondre Stevenson needs someone to help take the load off his shoulders, and there will be plenty of options competing throughout camp to ultimately fill that role.

“It’s still so early, but what I’ll say is it’s happening how I want it to happen,” Patriots running backs coach Taylor Embree said Tuesday. “There’s going to be competition from bottom to top. I want to see competition from the practice-squad guys, to the third guy on the depth chart to the third-down guy.”

Antonio Gibson is in line to play a third-down role, which will ease the burden that Stevenson has carried over the last couple seasons. It’s an open competition to see which one or two guys can find their way onto the roster behind those two.

Kevin Harris and JaMycal Hasty are coming in with experience in the league, while Deshaun Fenwick and Terrell Jennings look to continue a tradition of the Patriots retaining an undrafted rookie on their opening roster.

“Kevin Harris has done a great job of taking the stuff we’re going over in the team meetings, working on it and translating it to the team period,” Embree said. “JaMycal is another guy who has had plenty of experience in this league — and he’s a guy that’s got some juice to him. It’s going to come down to special teams for a lot of these guys, as well.”

Harris, Hasty, Fenwick and Jennings all worked in throughout special teams periods Tuesday, primarily serving as depth options on punt team. Fenwick repped with the top punt unit, so it looks like he has a leg-up in the special teams aspect of things.

The Patriots ultimately will need someone who can tote the rock, but as special teams take on a new meaning in the NFL, that might be the way for a fourth guy to crack the roster.

“I like where it’s headed,” Embree said. “It’s still a little early, and no one has really separated themselves — and we’ll see once camp comes — but the whole room has done a great job working this offseason.”