Image courtesy of New England Patriots
FOXBOROUGH – For at least one week in Germany, there’s a very good chance the biggest opportunity in Corey Kiner’s football life is in front of him,
After the scary medical news surrounding TreyVeyon Henderson and the horrendous 2026 injury bug hitting Rhamondre Stevenson in the ugly loss to Green Bay on Sunday, Kiner is most likely going to be the guy who has to carry the load when the Patriots take on Detroit in Munich.
With a disrupted week preparation wise – the Patriots are departing Wednesday night for Germany – adding another running back other than Lan Larrison who is already on the roster is probably far fetched given the circumstance.
In just his second year in the NFL, Kiner is now in line to have an important role in trying to right the ship. Kiner did get into the end zone for the first time in his NFL career during the 45-27 loss on Sunday, but it came in ‘garbage time’ with half of Gillette Stadium empty.
His mind was already on Monday when I chatted with him in the locker room postgame.
“I gotta go to work the next day and just prove to the coaches that I can step up and fulfill the role to help the team out. Some guys went down and I hate to see my brothers go down, bit I’ve got to step up. I’ve got to do what I need to do to help the team.”
After such a brutal loss in a big spot like the one against Green Bay, Kiner wanted to get back to work immediately.
“We definitely want to get back to work immediately. Nobody wants to get beat like that, especially at home,” he said. “We need to protect our house every single game. But, you know, it’s a lesson. It’s a lesson. We’ve got to go back and correct our details and play our game.”
This is obviously an unexpected position that Kiner finds himself in after getting just 12 carries for 58 yard with the Cardinals as a rookie, but one that he believes he’s more than ready for.
“I’ve prepared all offseason, throughout the season to do it,” Kiner added. “I’ve got to keep going to work every day and proving to the coaches that I can do it.”
I also asked Kiner if he can lean on any of his college experience carrying the ball more frequently after his 204 carries, 1,153 yards and four touchdowns at Cincinnati in 2024 after 192 for 1,047 yards and five TDs in 2023.
“They ask me every week like, ‘are you good?’ and I’m like ‘yeah.’ In college I was getting 20 carries a game. But, if I’m not getting 20 carries now, if I get five carries, eight carries, I’ve got to make the most of it. I’ve got to show coaches I can pass protect and catch the ball too.
“That role that these other backs fill, I’ve got to help out and pull my weight.”
Whatever Kiner needs to do moving forward – especially with the uncertainty involving Henderson’s condition and a potentially bad knee injury for Stevenson – he’ll be doing everything he can to succeed not just for himself, but them too.
“Every time I step on the field, I’m playing for those guys, the guys next to me, the guys on the sideline and the guys who can’t suit up,” Kiner said.
“Every time I step on the field, every time I step on the practice field, every time I step in the building, it’s for my guys around me, my brothers.”