FOXBORO — Patriots running back Corey Kiner could see his role expand this week against the Jets.
With TreVeyon Henderson nursing an ankle injury, Kiner could rise up the depth chart to back up Rhamondre Stevenson in Week 6.
Kiner has 81 yards on 20 carries so far this season. He ran for a career-high 52 yards on six carries in last week’s win over the Raiders, but he also fumbled on his first touch of the game.
“We all have to take care of the ball, but Corey did a lot of really good things. So there’s a high confidence,” head coach Mike Vrabel said Friday. “Nobody notices or really talks about the guy that comes back into the gap and hammers the ball out. You guys always fail to mention that. You guys always just put it on the guy who has the ball. So we all share in that, and we’ll be better, but I like the way Corey runs, and yes, he does have to hang on to the ball. We got to do a better job of protecting the guy, keeping people away from him.”
Stevenson also maintains confidence in his teammate.
“Great player. I think he’s gonna be a great player,” Stevenson said. “He just comes in here ready to work, tries to learn the offense. It’s kind of a tough offense to learn with Josh McDaniels’ system, but he’s coming in ready to learn and putting his best foot forward, I’ll say.”
Get to know Kiner better on and off the field in this week’s installment of our New Patriots Q&A.
Q: First football memory could be playing, watching anything.
A: One of my first football memories is — I think I was like 4 or 5 — and I went and tackled the person, he didn’t have the ball. But I was so happy that I hit somebody. And then my dad was just telling me, “that was good, but you’ve got to go hit the person with the ball.” And then from that point on, I was good at football.
Q: What’s your top high school football memory?
A: Top high school football memory. So, it was homecoming my junior year of high school (at Roger Bacon High School in Cincinnati), and I wake up in the morning to a whole bunch of social media messages. One of the kids from the other team or other school (Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy) — I don’t know if he was a player or not — just, like, @ me on social media and just saying like I’m overrated and stuff like that. And then they put it up on the jumbotron in the gym at my school for everybody to see. And the whole day, I didn’t say anything, and I’m just quiet in the whole school, and then I scored eight touchdowns in the game. I scored eight touchdowns. I told my coach I was gonna score 10, but he took me out.
Note: Kiner had 322 rushing yards, seven rushing touchdowns and one 78-yard kick return for a touchdown in the game.
Q: Top college football memory?
A: Top college football memory: Beating Miami of Ohio my senior year because we had lost to them the year before. We didn’t win many games my last two years of college. So, just having that moment, returning the (Victory) Bell back to Cincinnati, was one of the most amazing things that I can experience.
Q: What made Cincinnati special for you?
A: That’s where I’m from. So being from there, a lot of the players and a lot of coaches weren’t from there, so had no idea about the history and everything like that. Me, I grew up there my whole life, and just being able to play down the street from where I went to high school, where my grandma lives, everything like that, just meant a lot. I felt like I was at home. My family went to every single game. Especially our home games, it’s packed. My whole family’s there, 10-plus people.
Q: What would you be doing if you weren’t a football player?
A: Couldn’t tell you. I like cars, so that’s one thing that I’ve been getting into in my off-time. Just watching a lot of car videos, learning, learning about cars. Like, so I don’t know. I couldn’t tell you.
Q: Did you have a favorite athlete growing up?
A: Favorite athlete: LeBron James.
Q: Favorite movie?
A: Favorite movie: Drumline.
Q: Do you have a favorite musical artist?
A: Favorite musical artist. Right now, I’m gonna have to go with his name is Babyfxce E. He’s pretty good.
Q: Who have you been closest with on the team so far?
A: The whole running back room, to be completely honest with you, man. Behren (Morton) over here, locker mate. Talk to him every single day. I would say the whole running back room.
Q: Who’s the funniest player on the team?
A: Funniest player on the team. Probably Mack Hollins. Just like being himself. He’s not trying to be funny. He’s just unintentionally like that
Q: What do you like most about the New England region so far.
A: It’s just quiet. I come from Cincinnati, Ohio, and I don’t even stay in the loud part of the city, and it’s loud. There’s always stuff going on. It’s just quiet here.
Q: Do you think there’s a player across the league that is underrated or underappreciated?
A: Me. I gotta go with myself. I gotta show my worth, and it’ll come. I just gotta keep proving myself, keep making my opportunities worth it.
Q: Do you have a hidden talent?
A: Hidden talent? Nah.
Q: Is there a topic you think you know more about than anyone else in the locker room?
A: Cars. I love cars.
Q: What do you drive?
A: I drive a Durango. I love American muscle cars. Big Dodge person.
Q: Do you have a dream car?
A: Yeah, God willing, I’m gonna purchase a Corvette C8 one day. That’s my dream car. Yeah, me and my dad both, our dream cars.