Pro Football Rumors
Every NFL franchise has the stories of unexpected players making outsized impacts that surpass their expectations at signing, and the Patriots are no exception. Players Rob Ninkovich, Wes Welker, Julian Edelman, even current head coach Mike Vrabel all arrived in New England with little fanfare just to become franchise legends and contributors to many Super Bowls.
We learned recently that free agent safety Mike Brown is the favorite to win the No. 3 safety spot in the team’s secondary after signing a modest deal following his time in Tennessee. ESPN’s Mike Reiss took a recent look at the depths of the team’s roster to determine which other recent additions stand a decent chance at outplaying their contracts. On offense, Reiss nominates two players, running back Terrell Jennings and undrafted rookie center Jacob Rizy.
The Patriots aren’t in search of an under-the-radar contributor in the run game as they’re set to return their two-headed rushing attack with TreVeyon Henderson and Rhamondre Stevenson, but with Antonio Gibson no longer with the team, the RB3 role is open. Back in May, Reiss saw undrafted UCF rusher Myles Montgomery as the likely winner of the job, but his more recent reports indicate Jennings’ special teams contributions could give him an edge over Montgomery, 2025 undrafted free agent Lan Larison, and rookie seventh-round pick Jam Miller.
Rizy was one of the more intriguing undrafted players to sign with New England this year. After starting at both tackle spots at Harvard, Rizy transferred to Florida State, where he started a game apiece at left guard and center and three games at right guard in 2024. The Seminoles utilized him as a sixth man on their line last year, giving him significant snaps at every position across the line. Reiss asserts that teams generally likes to have three center options “in-house,” and Rizy could be that guy behind starter Jared Wilson and backup Ben Brown. If New England wants a third center, having one with starting experience all over the offensive line could be a strong move.
The top level of the Patriots’ depth chart is mostly set as the team gears up to run it back following a second-place finish in 2025. Even the two-deep at every position seems to be secure. When August is coming to a close and the deadline to get down to 53 players is bearing down, players like Jennings and Rizy could be the fringe players to just barely walk away with roster spots, but each could have the potential to contribute much more and develop into a household name if given the opportunity.
