The New England Patriots brought several free agents in for workouts this week, and a look at the names shows one thing: the team has a keen interest in what the running back market has to offer. Among the six players brought in, after all, three would help improve the depth at that particular position.

The players in question are Zach Evans, Nathaniel Peat and Isaiah Spiller. They were in town earlier this week alongside defensive lineman Pheldarius Payne, edge defender Justin Hollins and linebacker Monty Rice.

Rice was signed to the practice squad following his workout, with the others still on the open market.

Evans, 23, entered the NFL as a sixth-round pick by the Los Angeles Rams in last year’s draft. A special teamer and backup running back, he saw action in 10 games last season and touched the ball nine times for a gain of 19 yards. Before making the jump to the pros, he gained 2,324 scrimmage yards in three combined seasons at TCU and Ole Miss.

Peat, 24, started his career as an undrafted free agent with the Dallas Cowboys. After seeing only marginal action in preseason — seven touches for 31 yards — he was released in late August. Comparatively one-dimensional as a running back, Peat also offers extensive special teams experience from his college career at Stanford and Missouri.

Spiller, 23, was a fourth-round draft pick by the Los Angeles Chargers in 2022 but was only moderately successful before being let go earlier this season. In 15 games, the Texas A&M product touched the ball 64 times for 184 scrimmage yards. Spiller was a highly productive back in college, though, gaining 3,578 yards and scoring 26 touchdowns in three years.

Payne, 24, spent his six-year college career at Lackawanna, Nebraska and Virginia Tech before joining the NFL as an undrafted rookie with the Houston Texans earlier this season. He played two preseason games for the Houston Texans — registering one quarterback hurry in 24 snaps — but was let go ahead of the roster cutdown deadline.

Hollins, 28, is in his sixth NFL season. Originally a fifth-round draft choice by the Denver Broncos in 2019, he has since also spent time in Los Angeles, Green Bay, New York and Washington. Along the way, he saw action in 73 total games and notched 10.5 sacks as well as three forced fumbles with one recovery.

The Patriots currently have no open spots on either their active roster or practice squad. They will play the Chicago Bears on the road in Week 10.