The Patriots waived running back James Robinson on Monday, less than three months after making him one of their highest-profile free-agent additions in months.

The 24-year-old was expected to serve as the primary backup to Rhamondre Stevenson. His departure leaves Stevenson as the only proven rusher on the roster. Robinson signed a 2-year, $4 million deal with only $150,000 guaranteed, which protected the team in case of injury or unexpected release and now creates roughly $1 million in cap space.

Last season, Robinson slowly worked his way back from an Achilles tear he suffered in Dec. 2021. He proved far less effective than the 1,000-yard rookie rusher who broke out with the Jaguars in 2020. Midway through the 2022 season, Jacksonville traded him to the Jets, who declined to retain him as a restricted free agent this offseason.

The Pats now have Stevenson, Pierre Strong, Kevin Harris, Ty Montgomery and J.J. Taylor in their running backs room. Montgomery served as the team’s third-down back last year until he underwent season-ending shoulder surgery, which forced Stevenson to play more than 66% of the team’s offensive snaps, an exceedingly high number for Patriots running backs in the Bill Belichick era. On Monday, Montgomery primarily played receiver during a minicamp practice, while Strong took the next running back reps after Stevenson in team drills.

The Patriots also released former practice-squad cornerback Tae Hayes on Monday, per ESPN. They now have two open roster spots ahead of an expected free-agent visit from DeAndre Hopkins.