Who Should I Start? Terrell Jennings or Phil Mafah

Saturday, December 13, 11:07 AM

New England Patriots running back Terrell Jennings (concussion) has been placed on injured reserve and will miss the final four games of the regular season, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Rapoport adds that the Patriots expect Jennings to return for the team's playoff run. Jennings impressed while sharing touches with TreVeyon Henderson for a small stretch of games earlier this season, but he fell back to the No. 3 spot on the depth chart when Rhamondre Stevenson returned to action in Week 13. The 24-year-old has been a solid depth option within this backfield, amassing 73 rushing yards, nine receiving yards, and one touchdown through seven games. New England lacks reliable backfield depth behind Henderson and Stevenson now that Jennings, Antonio Gibson (knee), Deneric Prince (undisclosed), and Craig Reynolds (undisclosed) are all sidelined for extended periods of time. The Patriots will likely elevate D'Ernest Johnson from the practice squad to replace Jennings for Week 15.

Wednesday, December 17, 4:56 PM

The Dallas Cowboys announced on Wednesday that they have opened the 21-day practice window for rookie running back Phil Mafah (shoulder). Mafah has missed his entire first season in the NFL so far due to a shoulder injury that landed him on Injured Reserve in August. The 23-year-old will return to practice this week, though, and he could be in play to join the Cowboys offense in the final three weeks of the season. The Clemson product would provide insurance in Dallas' backfield, but he probably wouldn't be anything more than the RB3 behind Javonte Williams and Malik Davis if he plays to close out the 2025 campaign. The Cowboys must officially activate Mafah from IR if they want him active this Sunday against the Los Angeles Chargers. Mafah had 1,115 rushing yards, 103 receiving yards, and eight total touchdowns in his final year in college in 2024.