Patriots add Hassan Haskins and JaMycal Hasty to bolster a changing backfield

The New England Patriots made a pointed change at running back on Wednesday, reshaping a group that will be tested immediately as the team begins its 2026 preseason schedule. Head coach Mike Vrabel and the Patriots front office signed veteran free agents Hassan Haskins and JaMycal Hasty, moves that add experience and different running styles to a room that also includes the player the team moved on from, undrafted rookie Myles Montgomery.

The transactions came just before the Patriots kicked off their preseason on Thursday night, giving the coaching staff a quick chance to evaluate how the new players fit the team’s offensive tempo, pass protection assignments, and running-lane reads. In preseason football, the margin for error is thin, and running-back reps often become a referendum on role clarity, especially for players fighting for limited carries behind the projected starter and the main early-down options.

Haskins and Hasty were both brought in as veteran free agents, which suggests New England wants more than just depth. Veteran backs typically help teams scout specific run concepts and protection responsibilities because they are more likely to understand how play-calling changes when the offense shifts from script to situational football. That matters for a Patriots offense that needs consistency in the middle phases of downs, particularly when games transition from heavy starters to deeper rotations.

Alongside those additions, the team also placed undrafted rookie Myles Montgomery on the waiver wire. That move indicates the Patriots were not simply adding numbers, but actively managing their roster construction in a way that may open immediate opportunities for the new arrivals to win practice reps and, in turn, preseason snaps. For rookies, being waived shortly before preseason can become a fork in the road, either creating a new landing spot or, at minimum, changing the way they approach the next stage of development if they remain connected to the organization in some capacity.

Beyond the roster mechanics, these signings carry practical implications for how the Patriots manage early depth-chart questions. A veteran like Haskins can offer stability to a rotation that coaches often use to evaluate whether the scheme can hold up when the game shifts, while a back such as Hasty is often valued for the flexibility teams look for when they want a player to contribute on different down-and-distance looks. Together, the two veterans give New England more ways to measure what it has in camp beyond the primary run-game candidates.

What to watch next is how the new backs are deployed over the first preseason games and whether their roles suggest a clear pecking order. If Haskins and Hasty receive immediate third-down or short-yardage opportunities, it would point to a team preference for a defined package rather than a wide-open competition. If instead the Patriots spread carries more evenly while Montgomery seeks a new chance elsewhere, it would report New England is still searching for the right blend at the bottom of the depth chart. Either way, the preseason opener offers the first real answer to how these roster changes will translate on the field.