New Patriots Development Could Spell Bad News for RB TreV...

By Rowan Fisher-ShottonShareNewsweek is a Trust Project member

The week that began as another opportunity for New England Patriots rookie TreVeyon Henderson to solidify himself as the team's lead back now looks more complicated.

After sitting out the previous three games with a toe injury, veteran Rhamondre Stevenson practiced in a limited fashion and, according to coach Mike Vrabel on Friday, is "in position to play" after responding well with few restrictions.

Before the injury, Stevenson was handling roughly three‑quarters of snaps in the backfield, so his presence should vastly limit Henderson's workload.

With Stevenson's injury now seemingly behind him and Henderson dominating in his absence, the Patriots' coaching staff faces a difficult decision.

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Henderson was drafted in the second round (No. 38 overall) of the 2025 NFL Draft after an elite college career at Ohio State.

Despite being the fourth RB taken off the board in April's draft, he had seen limited opportunities before Stevenson's injury, playing less than 50% of snaps and sometimes as low as 13% to 20%.

However, he's come on late as the primary ball carrier, rushing for 264 yards and four touchdowns on 47 carries (5.6 yards per carry), along with 66 receiving yards and a receiving score in the three weeks Stevenson was out.

This includes a monster 147-yard performance in Week 10 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, with Henderson now leading the team with 492 rushing yards and five rushing TDs on just 100 carries (4.9 yards per carry) this season.

New England Patriots running back TreVeyon Henderson.

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Unfortunately, if Stevenson returns at full strength, Henderson’s ceiling as a weekly three-down workhorse drops significantly.

He will remain a high-upside rotational piece with red‑zone value, but the 80% snap share he's seen the past two weeks probably won't continue.

If the Patriots pivot to a true committee, both players can be productive — but Henderson’s snap share and weekly consistency will be the variable most affected.

Next up, the Patriots face the Bengals in Cincinnati on Sunday, before back-to-back home contests against the Giants and Bills, consecutive road matchups at Baltimore and the Jets, and the season finale versus Miami back at Gillette Stadium.

How the Patriots deploy Stevenson and Henderson over that stretch of games could impact not only Henderson’s breakout season but also the team's playoff positioning.

New England currently sits 9-2 and atop the AFC East.

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