FOXBORO — If Terrell Jennings is called upon to play Sunday, he’s confident he’ll be ready.
The Patriots’ practice-squad running back could be the next up on the depth chart with Antonio Gibson out due to a knee injury suffered Sunday night in Buffalo.
“That’s my brother, man,” Jennings told NBC Sports Boston. “It definitely hurts me to see my brother go down like that, but I wouldn’t be a good brother if I went out there and didn’t do my job. That’s what I want to do for him: do my job, and show him that there’s no drop-off and we’re still balling for him.”
Before the Patriots signed running back Jashaun Corbin to the practice squad Tuesday, Jennings was the lone healthy back in the organization aside from Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson.
Given Jennings’ time in New England — he’s been with the team since signing as an undrafted free agent prior to the 2024 season — and learning Josh McDaniels’ offense, he makes sense to be the next in line to contribute.
“I think he’s a great teammate,” head coach Mike Vrabel said Wednesday. “I think he cares about the team. He’s able to play special teams. He’s able to play on fourth down. He’s got a toughness to him. I think he’s improved.”
Jennings has been in all running back meetings with position coach Tony Dews. And even while getting work as a member of the scout team in practices, he’s been readying for his next regular-season opportunity.
“I prepare every day,” he said. “I’m sitting in the same meeting room as the guys every day. I mean, it’s not really anything hard for me to jump into because I’m practicing during the week, I’m still learning the offense. Then, of course, on the practice squad, some offenses run similar things to us, so I’m still getting reps and things I need to do for the week.”
Jennings said that waiting for his chance to play isn’t foreign to him.
He was called up to the 53-man roster in December last year after spending the season on the p-squad. He was a fourth-string back in college at Florida A&M before going on to lead the team in rushing attempts, yards and touchdowns in 2023.
Even as a Little League football player, he said, he played with older kids, forcing him to teach himself to stay prepared for his opportunity, whenever it came.
“It was just instilled into me to just go at it,” he said. “Be ready, whenever.”
The Patriots could need him as soon as this weekend in New Orleans as they look to push their record to 4-2.
