New England Patriots
Former Patriots running back Kevin Faulk recruited Kiner to LSU. Now, the Ohio native is getting a chance to prove himself in Foxborough.
While there was some internal competition for the third running back spot in New England, this summer the Patriots ended up swinging a trade at the end of the preseason to fill it.
New England sent a seventh-round pick to Arizona on cutdown day in exchange for running back Corey Kiner.
Kiner had 12 carries for 58 yards in four games with the Cardinals last year after signing as an undrafted free agent. Coach Mike Vrabel said the Patriots had Kiner on their radar last year when he was looking for for a spot to land.
They circled back and made a trade when the opportunity arose. New England cut Hassan Haskins, reached an injury settlement with Jam Miller, and later brought Haskins and Lan Larrison onto the practice squad.
“Corey [Kiner], we talked about him when we traded for him that he was a player that we had looked at trying to get last year coming out,” Vrabel said. “It didn’t work out. He’s a good young runner.”
Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson remain at the top of New England’s running back depth chart. Henderson did not participate in practice on Sunday or Monday, and was officially ruled out for Wednesday’s season opener.
That leaves some opportunities for Kiner to play against the Seahawks.
Here are five things to know about the latest addition to the Patriots’ running back room.
He’s described as a “compact” running back who breaks tackles.
The 5-foot-9-inch, 209-pound tailback averaged 5.2 yards per carry in college, totaling 2,882 yards and 16 touchdowns over five seasons.
He’ll be a change of pace from Henderson if he plays. Henderson’s speed makes him a big play threat in New England’s offense. Kiner, who ran a 4.57 40-yard dash at the NFL scouting combine, eats up yardage through consistent effort and hard running.
It’s “rare” to see Kiner brought down by the first tackler, NFL.com’s Lance Zeirlein noted in a pre-draft evaluation post.
“He is consistently good every single day,” Cincinnati coach Scott Satterfield told reporters last March. “You know what you’re going to get out of him. He’s going to be a guy who breaks a lot of tackles. He’s always going to strain for the extra yard.”
Kevin Faulk recruited him to LSU, where he was teammates with Kayshon Boutte.
According to 247Sports, Kiner was the 11th-ranked running back in the nation for the Class of 2022.
The consensus four-star recruit committed to LSU. Former Patriots running back Kevin Faulk was his position coach. Wide receiver Kayshon Boutte, whom New England recently traded to the Texans, was one of Kiner’s teammates at LSU.
Kiner spent one season with the Tigers before transferring to Cincinnati. He’s an Ohio native who grew up near the city.
He was the starting running back during Cincinnati’s first season in the Big 12.
Cincinnati joined the Big 12 in 2023, and the jump from the American Athletic Conference was a difficult one.
The Bearcats went 3-9 and finished 1-8 in conference play during the 2023 season.
Kiner posted the first of his two 1,000 yard seasons in 2023. He had 192 carries for 1,047 yards as a junior, which was good for 5.5 yards per carry. He tied his career-high for touchdowns with five.
Cincinnati improved to 5-7 during Kiner’s senior season in 2024. They went 7-6 in 2025 and are 1-0 to start this season.
What’s your bold prediction for the Patriots season this year?
He’s in the OHSAA record books.
According to University of Cincinnati’s website, Kiner finished his high school career 10th on the Ohio High School Athletic association’s all-time list for career rushing yards (7,130) and No. 3 in career rushing touchdowns (116).
He scored 35 touchdowns during his senior year and helped Roger Bacon High School win its first regional championship, earning Mr. Football honors for his accomplishments.
He ”one of the greatest running backs in Bearcats history,” according to Cincinnati’s website.
The Patriots are his fourth stop in the NFL.
Kiner signed with the 49ers as an undrafted free agent in 2025.
He spent training camp with San Francisco until he was eventually cut. The Vikings added him to the practice squad, and Arizona signed him before he played a game for Minnesota.
Kiner finished the season with Arizona. He spent the summer with the Cardinals before the Patriots traded for him last month.
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