The New England Patriots traded for Arizona Cardinals running back Corey Kiner on Saturday morning, adding even more competition to a crowded backfield just over 24 hours from the NFL roster cutdown deadline. New England sent a 2028 seventh-round draft pick to Arizona to get the deal done, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, who reported the trade Saturday morning.
Patriots local beat reporters Doug Kyed and Christopher Price both matched the reported terms of the deal within minutes.
Kiner was headed toward a release by Arizona regardless. ESPN’s Mike Reiss laid out the reasoning behind the move, noting the Patriots sit 31st in the waiver priority order coming off their Super Bowl run, so New England traded for Kiner rather than gamble on winning a waiver claim once Arizona released him.
Corey Kiner’s Path to New England
Kiner, 24, starred at Roger Bacon High School in Cincinnati before earning Ohio Mr. Football honors as a senior, rushing for 1,866 yards and 35 touchdowns. He spent one season at LSU in 2021, then transferred back home to Cincinnati, rushing for 2,562 yards and 14 touchdowns on 477 carries across three seasons.
His college tape showed a compact, physical style that made him difficult to bring down. He forced 80 missed tackles during the 2024 season, ranking fourth nationally, and he was known around Cincinnati for his tackle-breaking style.
Kiner went undrafted in 2025 and signed with the San Francisco 49ers before an ankle injury led to his release that August. Minnesota picked him up for its practice squad in September, and Arizona signed him off the Vikings practice squad to its active roster on December 2. He has appeared in four career NFL games, all with the Cardinals, carrying 12 times for 58 yards and catching two passes for 15 yards. This preseason, he rushed 14 times for 57 yards and a touchdown against Carolina, according to RotoWire.
How Kiner Fits, Patriots Roster Battle
Kiner joins a Patriots backfield led by Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson, giving New England a smaller, contact-balanced runner behind two backs with different builds. His kick-return experience adds a special teams option as the roster takes shape.
New England’s roster decisions were still unsettled entering the weekend, with Hassan Haskins, Lan Larison, Jam Miller and JaMycal Hasty all competing for spots behind the top two backs. Reiss’ earlier post on the deal detailed how the trade reshapes that competition, noting Kiner now slots in as the third running back, a job that opened when Terrell Jennings landed on injured reserve.
That leaves at least one of the bubble backs facing a difficult path onto the 53-man roster before Sunday’s 6 p.m. ET deadline. As of Saturday morning, though, none of them had been informed. Patriots reporter Evan Lazar tracked the team’s waived players Saturday, and the list of 15 cuts included no running backs, meaning the room stayed crowded even after the Kiner trade.
Patriots roster projections published over the weekend were split on whether the team would carry three or four running backs, and one projection from this weekend suggested New England could lean toward the leaner group, though special teams value could still save a bubble back.
Kiner signed a two-year deal with Arizona in December, carrying a 2026 salary of roughly $1.005 million, according to Spotrac.
Patriots Add Cardinals Running Back in Unexpected Trade Before Deadline