The New England Patriots are continuing their search for another running back. On Friday, the Patriots brought in free-agent RBs Darwin Thompson and C.J. Marable for workouts, per ESPN’s Mike Reiss.
Thompson, 26, was a former sixth-round draft pick by the Kansas City Chiefs in 2019. The Chiefs waived Thomson before the 2022 season, and the Utah State alum signed to the Buccaneers practice squad a few weeks later. However, he saw a reunion with the Chiefs as he signed to their practice squad in January. Shortly after, he joined the Seahawks on a futures contract but was cut before mini-camp. Shortly after he was offered a tryout with the Jagaurs but wasn’t signed to a deal. Thompson had his best season in 2020, rushing for 97 yards in 14 games with a touchdown and recording seven catches for 65 yards and a score.
Thompson was a highly-ranked football prospect out of high school and was rated as a three-star recruit. However, Thompson received zero NCAA D1 scholarship offers and enrolled at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M. He was named offensive MVP of the Southwest Junior Football Conference and was a second-team All-Amercian when he ran for 1,391 yards and registered eight touchdowns during his sophomore camping. Following his stellar college season, he transformed and committed to play at Utah State. Thompson only Thompson only played one season with the Big Blue, appearing in 13 games, rushing for 1,044 yards on 153 attempts, and collecting 14 scores. He was named to the second-team All-Mountain West conference.
Thompson has rushed for 225 yards, recording two touchdowns and 16 receptions for 108 yards and a score.
Meanwhile, the Patriots also looked at former USFL star running back C.J. Marable. Marable, 26, entered the NFL in 2021 when he signed as an undrafted free agent with the Chicago Bears. However, he was released before the season started. Marable started his college career at Presbyterian before transferring to Coastal Carolina. Marable made the transition to the USFL last year and was selected in the 28th round of the 2022 USFL draft by the Birmingham Stallions. In two seasons with the Stallions, he recorded 220 carries for 925 yards and eight scores in 23 games.
The Patriots currently have five running backs listed on the roster. Rhamondre Stevenson, Ty Montgomery, Kevin Harris, Pierre Strong Jr., and J.J Taylor are the current Patriots running backs. However, Montgomery has missed an extended period of time after suffering a leg injury early in training camp.
After the release of Terez Hall, the Patriots have two open spots on their 90-man roster. The Patriots will need to cut their roster to 53 players by August 30th.
My name is Ben Belford-Peltzman and I am the creator and writer of The Patriots Beat. I am a 17-year kid who is an optimistic pessimist about the City of Champions. I started The Patriots Beat in August of 2022 and never expected to grow so much but here we are. Feel free to email Thepatriotsbeat@gmail.com with any inquires.
