Led by quarterback Drake Maye and No. 1 wide receiver Stefon Diggs, the New England Patriots beat the Buffalo Bills on Sunday Night Football and emerged as an AFC East contender. One aspect of the offense is still lagging, though, the running game. It's time for Head Coach to take the diapers off his second-round pick, running back TreVeyon Henderson, and unleash him on the NFL.
The Patriots' 2025 running game stinks. Combined, the three top running backs have a paltry total of 366 yards in five games. Rhamondre Stevenson leads the Patriots' backs with a mere 139 yards with an average of 27 yards per game.
Second on the list is Henderson with a mere 121 yards and an average of 24 per game. It's time for Coach Mike Vrabel to energize this room by increasing Henderson's snaps significantly now that Antonio Gibson is out for the year.
Henderson was drafted in the 2025 second round by Vrabel to bring explosiveness to the backfield. So where is he? He's only had 32 carries in five games, an average of six. Vrabel is babying him, and it should end. It's time to unleash this potential game-breaker to balance the dynamic Drake Maye-led passing offense, which will become even more dangerous with a legitimate running threat.
TreVeyon Henderson will flourish if given the keys to the Patriots offense
The 2025 Patriots' running back room has been mediocre. The only back to have an average per carry of more than 4.0 is Antonio Gibson with 4.2. With him now on the shelf, the options for more carries are Rhamondre Stevenson, who's fumbled more times than he's scored touchdowns the past two seasons, and rookie TreVeyon Henderson.
Stevenson had 32 carries in the first five games with a 3.7-yard average and three fumbles (he had seven in 2024), while Henderson had 32 carries with a 3.8-yard average and no fumbles.
You know what you'll get with Stevenson. He'll have some solid runs, but he fumbles way too much. It's unacceptable. The jury is still out on Henderson, but he doesn't fumble. The verdict should be that he gets more carries.
There are additional reasons why Henderson is the better option, but it all has to start with ball security. It's become all too familiar to see Stevenson put the ball on the ground and wreck a Patriots' drive, and more in both 2024 and now 2025. Vrabel should have seen enough. Stevenson (and a few other veterans) should be on the trade block.
TreVeyon Henderson's potential is sky high
Besides not fumbling, Henderson will provide huge additional benefits. If he's given 10-15 snaps per game, opposing defenses will have to game-plan for him. He's too dangerous a runner with take-it-to-the-house potential on any given carry not to. Stevenson isn't a home run threat.
That speed differential is key for Henderson, but that's not all. He's elusive, hits holes quickly, and can accelerate fast to rack up big gainers. It's called explosiveness, and with limited carries, he hasn't been able to exploit that attribute, get untracked, into a rhythm, and into the flow of a game. That's Vrabel's and Offensive Coordinator Josh McDaniels' issue, and it should change immediately.
Gibson's injury is a gilded invitation to Vrabel to take the diapers of his precocious rookie, stop babying him, and let him run. Vrabel used a coveted second-round pick on Henderson, and he hasn't given him the rock near enough. Run him behind rookies Will Campbell and Jared Wilson, and he'll get into a groove. He's also proficient at catching the ball from the backfield, another asset.
TreVeyon Henderson is a touchdown waiting to happen on any given carry or reception. The only impediment to his providing a capable and dependable complement to Drake Maye's pinpoint passing is giving him the opportunity.
The worst that can happen is that he flops, and you move on to someone else. Regardless, he's the Patriots' best running back option in light of Gibson's injury, and it's a no-brainer to give him the snaps. At least he's less likely to fumble.