The New England Patriots have made huge steps offensively this season, specifically through the air. Drake Maye has ascended to be one of the top quarterbacks in all of football, and previously pedestrian receivers have broken out as a result.
Stefon Diggs has been one of the top free agent additions at any position, Kayshon Boutte has thrived as a deep threat, and Mack Hollins has offered plenty of versatility. Hunter Henry is also on pace for a career year.
The backfield has been more of an issue for New England. Admittedly, the running back performance has improved significantly over the past few weeks, with TreVeyon Henderson the central reason. Since his game against the Browns, his second-ever game with 10+ career carries, he's been unstoppable, averaging 6.2 yards per carry.
@TreVeyonH4 has been a different animal since the Browns game.
— Graham Wilker (@GrahamWilker1) December 15, 2025
Before: 43 att / 153 yds / 1 TD / 3.6 YPC / 16 Catches
Since: 100 att / 620 yds / 6 TD / 6.2 YPC / 18 Catches
He's playing at a 1,500-yard pace over his last seven games. 2026 is going to be scary👻 #Patriots
Henderson has two 145+ yard games this year, and Rhamondre Stevenson's six carries on Sunday yielded 50 yards as well, by far his best YPC total of the year. While the running back room seems to be finding some stability, it hasn't been a great unit when viewed holistically this season.
The Patriots' backfield has struggled despite sudden success
In New England's worst offensive performances, the running game has been a key reason why. In their Week 1 performance against the Raiders, running backs had 13 carries for 45 yards (3.5 YPC), and the team scored only 13 points.
Two weeks later, they'd face the Steelers, scoring 14 points. Their running backs totaled 22 carries for 74 yards in that game, or 3.4 a carry.
The trend continued against the Bills in their first matchup, when the backs had 19 carries for 59 yards, or 3.1 per carry. Two yards per carry against the Saints and 3.6 yards per carry against the Falcons even further strengthen the argument against the now ascending backfield.
Every time New England has scored 25 or fewer points this season, it has been on account of a backfield averaging well under 4.0 yards per carry.
Henderson and Stevenson are both under contract next year, but it seems unlikely the latter will play on his $7.6 million contract next year. The team will likely try to trade him or restructure his contract, as cutting him wouldn't be particularly sensible given his current numbers: they'd be responsible for $1 million more than they would otherwise.
Whether he is on the team or not next year, adding to the backfield makes plenty of sense.
The Patriots should look to add Breece Hall in free agency
While it may be a pipe dream, Breece Hall would be an incredible addition to the backfield. Bleacher Report's Alex Kay suggested in a recent article that Hall could be on the move, but did not list the Patriots as a top landing spot.
The Patriots are projected to have the ninth most cap space in the league in 2026, with just over $42 million in effective cap (cap space minus salary for 2026 draft picks). Adding a top back to an inconsistent backfield would make a lot of sense for the Patriots. Hall has maintained 4.2 yards per carry this season, totaling 900 yards and 32 catches for 323 yards through the air.
Hall tore his ACL and meniscus in his rookie year, but bounced back in his sophomore season. He was six yards shy of the 1,000 mark, and his 76 catches totaled 591 yards. He totaled nine touchdowns that season, and his catch total was the most of any running back.
He's averaged 13.4 carries per game in his 54 matchups and has dealt with a major knee injury. While not at the same level, Saquon Barkley averaged 15.9 carries per game through his first 60 games, dealing with an ACL tear of his own and averaging 4.5 yards per carry in that time, an identical average to Hall's.
While Hall isn't likely to reach Barkley's career success, getting to elite status is far from impossible. Hall will likely yield roughly $10-12 million per season on the open market, a price New England would have no problem paying, especially if they can find a way to dump Stevenson's contract.
It feels unlikely Hall will find a new team, however. The Jets are one of the eight teams with more cap space than the Patriots, and not trading Hall at the trade deadline could mean he's part of their future plans. Aaron Glenn comes from a system in Detroit that prioritizes the running game.
Like Dan Campbell's first draft (Penei Sewell), the Jets added their own right tackle in Armand Membou with the seventh pick. If Glenn plans to copy the Lions' formula, an elite running game is a requirement, and Hall can help them accomplish that.
New England has the 7th highest run play percentage in the league, and Vrabel has a history in Tennessee of wanting to run the ball. If Hall is available come March, expect New England to be involved in the sweepstakes, but that seems unlikely for now.