The efforts that Mike Vrabel and Co. made this offseason to improve the offense around Drake Maye have been on full display through the first eight games of the season, featuring the rise of two wide receivers on pace for a 1,000+ yard year for the first time since Julian Edelman still ruled the group. Then there is the MVP-caliber performance from the quarterback so far, who has the league talking about his second-year jump that not many expected.
That has all been noteworthy, but the running back group hasn't lived up to the hype received before the season began. Part of that is due to Rhamondre Stevenson's early-season fumbling issues and Antonio Gibson's season-ending injury.
And then there's the lack of using TreVeyon Henderson as much as a second-round pick would presumably be involved, which might finally change this week.
Although it could be happening due to a new toe injury that Stevenson is dealing with, as he has missed two practices now, it will still be a good time to see what Henderson can do as the lead running back, which we got a taste of last week when he led the team with 10 carries for 75 yards.
A second straight day in which starting RB Rhamondre Stevenson (toe) is not spotted at practice.
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) October 30, 2025
Patriots in the rain today. Thursdays have usually been their full-shoulder pads practices, which often ups the intensity. https://t.co/5edDk3HxYs
This might be the week TreVeyon Henderson breaks out for the Patriots
Since the Patriots announced they were picking Henderson with their second-round pick, there was a lot of excitement about what the explosive Ohio State running back could do within their offense, especially working with the veteran runners already on the roster.
Given his style of play, his addition to the team would have added an element to the backfield that the Patriots were lacking. But we haven't seen much of it yet in Josh McDaniels' offense, as Stevenson has remained the RB1 and Gibson right behind him.
Now that Gibson is out for the year, Henderson has seen an increase in reps, which was much-needed, yet still hasn't taken on a more prominent role as many believed he would. It's prompted questions about his fit in McDaniels' system, or even if he's not practicing well, despite how impressive his preseason performance was.
Some of those concerns were put to rest in last week's game, so the expectation is we will continue to see an increase in his usage moving forward. That will have to be the case this week if Stevenson can't go, even with Terrell Jennings being signed to the 53-man roster.
It might be the ultimate test to see just how vital Henderson can become to the offense moving forward, as it is presumed he will become the featured back at some point. The hope is that we will see the kind of production he consistently had throughout his college career, and his ball security will be an upgrade over the ongoing uncertainty surrounding Stevenson.
We'll have to see what Stevenson's status will be and how that will ultimately impact Henderson's playing time. Regardless, it would be nice to see him used more the rest of the season, since he was a second-round pick and we have yet to see much from another potentially explosive rookie, WR Kyle Williams.