Ever since the NFL Draft in April, New England Patriots fans have had high hopes for TreVeyon Henderson. Some said he would be the starter, with some going as far as saying Rhamondre Stevenson's days were numbered. Despite the preseason hype, things haven't gone according to plan on the Henderson front.
He had his moments in the preseason, including scoring a touchdown on his first touch - returning a kickoff 100 yards against the Commanders.
Henderson's lack of production hasn't been due to poor play. There's been a lack of touches. He has approximately two games' worth of carries, rushing for 121 yards on 32 totes.
In unfortunate circumstances, his volume will go up because of the news that Antonio Gibson is lost for the season to an ACL injury he suffered against the Buffalo Bills.
Mike Vrabel hints that rookie RB TreVeyon Hederson could finally see an increased role in Antonio Gibson's absensce
Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel spoke highly of Henderson, highlighting his areas for improvement as his role expands in New England.
From the get-go, I thought of Henderson as the lightning to Stevenson's thunder. And even though "Mondre" has had his struggles holding on to the football, it is still imperative that he improve upon his 3.7 yards per carry and be the Pats' bruiser between the tackles. Can Henderson be a between-the-tackles runner? He is right there with Stevenson with a 3.8 yards per carry average, but New England will be best suited to work on finding ways to get him in space, where he is elite.
In turn, Stevenson must hold onto the football and maintain the coaching staff's trust. If that doesn't happen, all bets are off, and Henderson will be forced to be the Patriots' starter and go-to runner between the tackles. Sink or swim.
At the end of the day, the selection of Henderson is one of the best moves the Patriots made during the offseason. And now, more than ever, the Patriots need him to step up in a big way.