New England Patriots Rookie Made a Statement in Preseason Game Against the Colts

One of the great things about preseason football is that you can see the rising and falling of players trying to make a case for themselves for a roster spot on a team. Last night, New England Patriots rookie running back Jam Miller made a case that he is on the rise on the team

Miller was taken in the seventh round of the NFL Draft back in April and entered the Patriots' running back room with some competition around him. Players like Lan Larison have predominantly owned the title of RB3 over the past month, and many felt Miller was maybe going to be on the practice squad at best.

There's still a way to go till the dreaded "cutdown day," but Jam Miller made a case for himself last night that he came to play professional football and wasn’t about to shy away from an opportunity to prove that.

Miller had the ball 14 times last night and rushed for 55 yards. He failed to catch the one ball thrown his way. As for who many feel is Miller's competition for the role, Larison, the other potential RB3, caught six of 8 for 38 yards and only rushed for one yard in seven carries.

These comparisons make a case that Miller deserves a shot to hang around for a bit in 2026.

Miller's interesting night comes as the Patriots make moves in their running back room. The Patriots placed Terrell Jennings on season-ending injured reserve. Undrafted rookie running back Myles Montgomery also landed on season-ending injured reserve and was waived to clear a roster spot. The Patriots then signed veteran running back JaMycal Hasty just a few days ago.

There was a lot of buzz around Miller being drafted. In Alabama, he racked up 33 carries for 233 yards and two touchdowns as a freshman in 2022; in 2023, he had 41 rushing attempts for 201 yards and a touchdown. By 2024, his leap forward was very recognizable. He was one of the team's two top rushers. He recorded his first 100-yard rushing performance that season with 140 yards and a touchdown on just 15 carries against South Florida.

Miller looked poised to take the bulk of the reps Thursday night. He handled the position well as the primary name on the field, with both Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson sitting out last night's game. He handled a lot of the rushing attack, while the rest of the Patriots' running back room only accumulated a total of 27 yards on 17 attempts.

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