The New England Patriots traded for running back Corey Kiner on Saturday, sending the Arizona Cardinals a 2028 seventh-round pick. The Patriots then released running back Hassan Haskins, the team announced.
Kiner's production in the teams' recent meeting gives the move context. He carried five times for 35 yards against New England, averaging 7.0 yards per attempt with a long of 16. He didn't catch a pass.
The cost is minimal. A 2028 seventh-rounder is a future afterthought, and the Cardinals were dealing from a deep backfield. In Arizona's last game, Kiner was the third back in the rotation: Evan Hull had 16 carries, Tre Stewart had nine, Kiner had five. The Cardinals got a pick for a player who wasn't guaranteed a roster spot.
New England's side is a depth bet. Kiner is not a featured back. His five carries came in one game, and the sample is too small to call him a rotation lock. But the release of Haskins clarifies the front office's thinking. They saw Kiner as the better fit for a roster spot.
The pick swap matters more for process than value. If the Patriots were confident Kiner would clear waivers, they could have waited and claimed him for nothing. Instead, they paid a 2028 seventh-rounder to control the transaction. That says they valued him at least slightly above the waiver lottery.
My verdict: this is a reasonable low-cost swing. The Patriots gave up a pick that will likely never be a starter to acquire a runner with visible burst. Kiner needs to win a job in the next week, but the seventh-rounder is a tiny price for that shot. He showed enough against New England to get this chance. Now he has to show it again when the games count.