A member of the undrafted class will soon be a member of the active roster in Foxborough.
The New England Patriots plan to promote rookie running back Terrell Jennings from the practice squad to the 53, according to a report Friday from Christopher Price of the Boston Globe.
His new contract will run through 2025.
Jennings, 23, joined the practice squad at its formation after clearing waivers at the NFL’s cutdown deadline in August. The Florida A&M product served as a standard elevation in October against the Houston Texans. Prior to reverting, his debut brought five carries for 13 yards and saw him handle 21 percent of the snaps on offense as well as on special teams.
Originally signed in June following a tryout at rookie minicamp, Jennings went on to lead New England’s ground game in the preseason. The 6-foot, 217-pound back finished his collegiate career with 381 carries for 1,754 yards and 24 touchdowns over the course of 45 appearances. And as a graduate student last fall, he tallied 733 yards and 10 touchdowns from scrimmage for the Rattlers across 127 offensive touches.
A trio of running backs have resided on the 53-man roster for the Patriots since the calendar turned to September. Behind starter Rhamondre Stevenson, the depth chart includes veterans Antonio Gibson and JaMycal Hasty. The latter was ruled out on the final injury report due to an ankle issue.
The organization enters the weekend with two open spots after placing defensive tackles Jaquelin Roy and Christian Barmore on injured reserve and the non-football illness list, respectively.
The AFC East champion Buffalo Bills host Sunday’s 4:25 p.m. ET kickoff at Highmark Stadium.
