MORSE: Patriots Running Back and Quarterback Analysis, 1st OTA Report

This is the second of the series evaluating the roster by position. This installment will be about the Backfield and Quarterbacks.

Quarterbacks

Drake Maye – I expect a continued upward progression of Drake Maye as a signal caller and a leader on this team. He will not have the cupcake schedule he enjoyed on the Super Bowl run last season. However, he should have a better run game and an improved Offensive Line play. Maye learned from his tough run through the playoffs playing some of the top defenses in the league. He was able to carve up the vaunted Houston defense. Another key point is that Maye will be playing in the same offense for the same Offensive Coordinator for the first time in his overall football career. Josh McDaniels’ Offensive Game Plan is complicated and not easy to learn. Coming into his second year with McDaniel should only improve how Maye reads and reacts to what defenses show him. Seattle used corner blitzes, contrary to their normal operation, that confused and sped Maye up by putting immediate pressure on him. He has now seen this and will learn to recognize it in pre-snap reads.

Tommy DeVito – Entering his 4^th NFL season, the 27-year-old Undrafted Free Agent from Illinois and Syracuse has solidified the backup QB position behind Drake Maye. DeVito torched the Patriots in the final Pre-season game last season, but was waived by the Giants at the final cutdowns. The Patriots pounced on him and made him the 3^rd QB behind Joshua Dobbs. The Patriots coaches must have liked what they saw in Tommy “Cutlets”. They waived Dobbs this Spring, elevating DeVito into the #2 slot. In his final season at Illinois, DeVito threw for 2,625 yards, 69.3 Comp %, 14 TDs to 4 INTs. He signed a two-year extension after Dobbs release. He has started 8 games as a pro with 3-5 record and a 65 .3 Comp %, 8 TDs to 3 INTs.

Behren Morton – The rookie 7^th round selection (234^th) played 5 years at Texas Tech. He is known as a true team leader. Morton is as tough as nails. He was hurt with a lower leg injury early in the 2025 season. It was described as a knee displacement. At the NFL Draft Combine it was confirmed as a hairline fracture of his fibula. He played the entire season on a broken leg. He also had A/C Joint sprain in his throwing shoulder.

After the 2024 season, Morton had surgery on the shoulder. One of the big knocks on Morton during the scouting process was his lack of arm strength. This can be attributed to the right leg injury (his push off leg) and the recovery from the shoulder surgery. He threw for 8,989 yards, 63.3 Comp %, 71 TDs to 28 INTs. Reports from the rookie camp were glowing. He completed 11 of 11 passes in 11 on 11 scrimmage. Moreover, his arm strength was on full display as he fired some passes into tight windows. I was not thrilled with the selection of Morton, but I will admit that I may have under-sold Morton. Let’s see what he does in OTAs, Mini-Camp and the pre-season camp.

Jan 25, 2026; Denver, CO, USA; New England Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson (38) rushes the ball against the Denver Broncos during the second half in the 2026 AFC Championship Game at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images — **Patriots RB, Rhamondre Stevenson. (PHOTO: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images)**

Running Backs

Rhamondre Stevenson – he is the premiere back in this Offense. He can do it all. He is a punishing runner that is hard to bring down and gets extra yardage after 1^st contact. His fumbling issues showed up again early in the season. His fumble inside the 5-yard line (along with 4 other turnovers) led to the loss to the Steelers. However, Mike Vrabel stayed with Stevenson and he resolved his fumbling problem for the remainder of the season. Stevenson ran for just 603 yards on 130 carries, the lowest number of carries in his career. He did average 4.6 YPC, tying his 2^nd best number in his career. Stevenson has only rushed for 1,000 yards once in his career and that was back in 2022. With 32 catches on 37 Targets, Stevenson was a very reliable receiver. He chipped in 345 yards, 10.8 YPC and 2 TDs. His pass-blocking was excellent as evident by a 69.9 Pass Blocking grade from PFF. That was 19^th of all backs including Fullbacks. With the addition of Alijah Vera-Tucker and a 2^nd year for rookies Will Campbell and Jared Wilson, along with the additions of blocking TE Julian Hill and true Fullback Reggie Gilliam, that should help with the running game.

TreVeyon Henderson – The rookie speedster exploded on the scene with a Preseason kickoff return for a TD. Henderson chipped in 4 explosive runs of 50 yards or more. He finished the season with 911 yards. 5.1 YPC, 9 TDs. Henderson was supposed to be the best pass blocking back in the draft class, but he struggled mightily. His inside running was an issue too. He is not a big back and struggles inside. If he gets around the corner, he is electric in the open field. As a receiver he had 35 Receptions on 42 Targets for 6.3 YPC and 1 TD.

Lan Larison – Larison impressed in last season’s Training Camp before a broken foot sidelined his season. In his lone Preseason game he ran for 35 yards on 7 carries, 5.0 YPC, and a TD. He is also a terrific pass catcher out of the backfield. The 5’11” 209-pound back out of Cal Davis won numerous accolades throughout his college career. He was the Big Sky Offensive Player of the Year (2023), 2x First-team FCS All-American (2023, 2024), 3× First-team All-Big Sky (2022–2024), 2× Second-team All-Big Sky (2020, 2021).

Check out these career stats:

Rushing: 641 carries, 3,627 yards, 5.7 avg, 41 TD
Receiving: 127 catches, 1,632 yards, 12.9 avg, 11 TD
Total Touchdowns: 52 (41 rushing, 11 receiving)
All-Purpose Yards: 6,504 (single-season record: 2,387 in 2024)
Total Points: 102 (6 rushing, 17 receiving, 3 scoring). He is also an award winning High School Steer Wrestling Rodeo Cowboy.

The Undrafted player ran a 4.6 40-yard dash, 35.5 VJ, 9’11” BJ, 4.21 SS and 6.96 3-cone drill from his Pro Day. I have him making the 53-man roster as the 3^rd RB and Kickoff Rreturner. Larison was a dual threat QB in High School. He could be used in some gadget plays like a wildcat formation or halfback option throw.

Terrell Jennings – The 6’ 215-pound RB out of Florida A&M signed with the Patriots two years ago as an UDFA. He signed on with the Patriots Practice Squad and was elevated for the last three games of 2024. In 2025 he was waived at the cutdown day and re-signed to the Practice Squad. In week 9 he was signed to the 53-man roster after Antonio Gibson’s season ending knee injury. Jennings was injured and put on IR In December. Jennings will be competing with Larison for that 3^rd RB spot on the roster.

Jam Miller – I was unhappy with the selection of Jam Miller in the 7^th round (245). He did nothing at Alabama that excites me even though he has all the given physical talent. The 5’10”, 215-pound back from Alabama ran a 4.42 40-yard dash. However, his other measurable were mediocre. He also has small hands. He really only played two years at Alabama waiting his turn to see significant playing time He ran for 668 yards in 2024 averaging 4.6 YPC, and 7 TDs. He missed two games in 2025 and was held to 504, 3.9 YPC, and 3 TDs behind the awful Alabama line. He did have 16 receptions for 155 yards, 9.7 YPC, and 1 TD in 2024. He followed that up with 19 catches for 109 yards, 5.7 YPC , 0 TD.

Myles Montgomery – This UDFA does excite me. Montgomery received the most guaranteed money of any Patriots UDFA. They essentially guaranteed him a spot on their Practice Squad, if he doesn’t make their 53-man roster or is picked up at the cutdown by another team for their 53-man roster. His guarantee is equal to a full year Practice Squad pay. The 5’11”, 190-pound back played at Cincinnati and UCF. He ran a 4.46 40 at his Pro Day causing scouts to reevaluate him. In 2025 as a full-time starter, he ran for 705 yards, 4.9 YPC and 4TDs. As a receiver out of the backfield, he caught 17 passes for 182 yards and 10.7 YPC and 1 TD.

Fullback

Reggie Gilliam – Gilliam is one of the top blocking Fullbacks in the league. He helped James Cook and the Bills with their dominating running game. His signing is a big win for the Pats and hurts their division rival Bills. Gilliam is also an underrated pass catcher as well as the top blocking Fullback in the passing game.

Jack Westover – With the signing of Gilliam, Westover will not be asked to play fullback. However, his position versatility as a TE and Fullback make him valuable. Surprisingly, Westover had a 77.8 Pass Blocking grade from PFF, one of the top PB grades. Gilliam had the best.

Brock Lampe – Lampe, an UDFA last season, was making a push to make the 53-man roster until an injury put him on the shelf for the year. He will be playing for a spot on the Practice Squad.

OTA Open to the Media

The second Day of OTAs was open to the media. Through various reports from local media I awas able to compile the following information.

Absent from Practice – Christian Gonzalez, Carlton Davis, Harold Landry, Gabe Jacas, Kayshon Boutte and Mack Hollins. The Christian Gonzalez and Gabe Jacas absences appear to be contract related. I believe Gonzalez’s management team is putting pressure on the Patriots to get the Gonzalez extension done so that they can then top it immediately while the ink is still drying to sign Devon Witherspoon to a higher contract. The higher the Gonzalez contract the more they can ask for Witherspoon. Jacas is trying to get as much guaranteed money as possible. Several 2nd round picks got fully guaranteed contracts. Jacas was the 55th player selected and he shouldn’t get a fully guaranteed contract. This holdout could last a long time. Landry is coming off knee surgery and his absence isn’t surprising and could last deep into Training Camp. Kyle Dixon was at practice but didn’t participate. He worked on the lower field with trainers indicating that he may be recovering from some type of injury.

Offensive Line Groupings

Starters 2^nd Team

Left Tackle Will Campbell James Hudson

Left Guard Alijah Vera-Tucker/ Andrew Rupcich Caedan Wallace

Center Jared Wilson Ben Brown

Right Guard Mike Onwenu Sebastian Guitirrez

Right Tackle Morgan Moses/Caleb Lomu Marcus Bryant

AVT played at LG during drills but sat during 11-on-11. The big surprise was Rupcich at backup LG ahead of Caedan Wallace. Rupcich has 12 starts under his belt in 23 and 24 and played for Vrabel at Tennessee. Moses would play 4 snaps and Lomu would sub in for 2 and this went on all practice. Expect Moses workload to be managed just like it was last year. Phil Perry made an observation that Will Campbell looked good and moved very well. He noted that Campbell finished 1^st amongst the lineman in any of the conditioning runs.

Maye Throws INT to Karon Prunty

Maye actually did better than he did on the opening OTA practice in front of the media last year. If you remember he threw 4 INTs in that practice and we were all holding our breath. The big news was that rookie 5^th round pick Karon Prunty, who the Patriots were highly criticized for reaching to take him, had a pick of Maye on a pass to Kyle Williams. The pass was underthrown and Prunty undercut the route and took it to the house. Hhhmmmm, maybe the Patriots scouts know more than the experts.

Lan Larison #3 RB

Larison was the clear 3^rd RB in the competition. His pass catching has really put him ahead of others.

DeMario Douglas has a Big Day

With Hollins and Boutte missing, Douglas stood tall, going 4 for 5 in competitive 11’s. The one incompletion was a Pass Breakup by Vildor Kindle.

Other Pass Breakups

George Woods had two PBUs and KJ Britt also had a nice one.

QB Passing

Maye 14/22

DeVito 6/10

Morton 1/2

Vrabel Said They Have Been in Communication with Boutte

A good sign is that they are keeping the lines of communication open. Vrabel stated that Boutte likes working out at his facility. I wonder if they offered Boutte a contract extension last year and he didn’t want it. He is entering his last year of his rookie contract and is one season away from Unrestricted Free Agency.

The signing of Doubs and potential signing of AJ Brown probably means that Boutte won’t be here in 2026. The team is probably holding on to him as insurance in case they are unable to get the deal done for Brown. You have to remember that these workouts are voluntary according to the negotiated NFL Players Association contract. The players are required to be there for the Mini-Camp. That could be a situation where they show up but don’t participate in the actual workouts. I would expect that would be the same situation with Jacas and Gonzalez if they don’t have their deals worked out yet.

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About Mark Morse

Merrimack Valley native and lifelong fan of the New England Patriots. My earliest memories of the Patriots were attending as a child with my dad, the off-season practice at Phillips Academy. I was at the Patriots game at Harvard Stadium in 1970 where Bob “Harpo” Gladieux was called out of the stands by the stadium announcer over the PA to play in the game. Analyzing the draft since ESPN first started to televise it in 1980 and former writer for the Lowell Sun Newspaper.

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