Deneric Prince

Current Contract

Contract Value Index (CVI)

The Patriots secured solid depth value by inking Deneric Prince to a $1.0M AAV deal, earning a C+ CVI that reflects competent roster-building at the running back position. At the league minimum for a one-year commitment, New England faces virtually zero financial risk while adding a body to their backfield rotation — the kind of low-stakes signing that can quietly pay dividends if Prince carves out a meaningful role. The short-term structure gives both sides flexibility, allowing the Patriots to evaluate Prince's fit within their system without long-term obligations while giving the running back a chance to showcase his abilities for future opportunities. While Prince profiles as a replacement-level to solid contributor rather than a game-changer, the contract's modest terms mean New England isn't banking on star production to justify the investment. This represents the type of shrewd, low-risk move that championship-caliber organizations make to maintain roster depth without compromising their salary cap flexibility.

Performance Analysis

Deneric Prince is a replacement-level running back at this stage of his career, offering the Patriots little in the way of proven production and carrying a D+ performance grade that reflects his standing on the fringes of a competitive NFL roster. The only statistical output available from his 2026 campaign is 20 receiving yards across three games — a figure that tells you everything about his current ceiling as a contributor, as he has essentially been a non-factor in both the passing game and, presumably, the ground game. That limited usage underscores the biggest concern surrounding Prince: he has not seized opportunities when given them, and three games into his young career he has yet to establish even a marginal foothold as a reliable weapon out of the backfield. At 26 years old and in just his second season, he occupies the classic depth-chart limbo of a developmental prospect whose window for emergence is narrow and shrinking. The media silence surrounding him is telling — not the quiet before a breakout, but the indifference that follows a player who has given the football world no compelling reason to pay attention. New England's recent backfield activity, most notably the release of Elijah Mitchell, does crack the door open slightly, but whether Prince can walk through it will depend entirely on what he shows during preseason reps over the next 133 days before the regular season kicks off. Right now, he reads as a roster bubble candidate rather than a genuine part of the organizational plan.

Current Sentiment

Deneric Prince enters the 2026 preseason as one of the most invisible players on a 14-3 Patriots roster, and his D sentiment grade reflects exactly that — not controversy, not backlash, just a near-total absence from the public conversation. The media framing around him is defined by silence rather than skepticism, with virtually no coverage positioning him as either a breakout candidate or a roster liability, leaving him stranded in that uncomfortable no-man's-land between developmental prospect and replacement-level depth. That indifference tracks with his on-field production grade, which itself reflects minimal contributions — his 2024 season produced just 20 receiving yards across three games, the kind of line that doesn't move the needle in either direction for fans or analysts. The Patriots' recent backfield-adjacent roster activity adds some intrigue to his standing: New England cut Elijah Mitchell in late April, a move that quietly opens a sliver of opportunity in a depth chart that hasn't received a marquee upgrade at the position. Still, the bottom line here is that Prince's narrative remains almost entirely unwritten heading into 2026 — preseason performance is the only realistic lever that changes his standing, and right now the organization's silence on his development speaks louder than any headline could.