Earlier this season, the New England Patriots were hesitant to unleash rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson due to the presence of veteran Rhamondre Stevenson. Through the first seven games, the rookie running back averaged 21.9 yards on 6.1 attempts per game.
Meanwhile, Stevenson averaged 34.9 rushing yards on 10.4 attempts per game over that same stretch. However, the Patriots’ hands were eventually forced as Stevenson suffered a toe injury, which has kept him out of the last three games, including Thursday night’s contest vs. the New York Jets.
Without Stevenson on the field, the Patriots handed the RB1 job over to Henderson, who has clearly cemented himself as the top guy in the backfield after what he did against the Jets.
The rookie running back turned in an impressive three-touchdown performance as the Patriots won their eighth-straight game, 27-14. Henderson did a little bit of everything on Thursday night. He racked up 54 yards on a career-high 17 carries, along with five receptions (five targets) for 31 yards.
Rhamondre Stevenson in Trouble Following TreVeyon Henderson’s 3 TD Outing
If you didn’t know any better, you would’ve thought Stevenson was playing because this is the type of stuff he does on the field (minus the three TDs). However, it was Henderson, who has been terrific over the last three games without the veteran running back.
Stevenson wasn’t exactly playing well before getting injured, as he was averaging 3.4 yards per carry. But as a veteran, you know what you are going to get at the end of the day, and for head coach Mike Vrabel, that was good enough for this team’s offense.
That said, one has to wonder what Stevenson’s role will be when he does ultimately return from his toe injury. ESPN’s Dan Graziano noted earlier this week that he expects the veteran to “reclaim his former role” as New England’s main in-between-the-tackles runner.
Graziano added that the Patriots trust Stevenson “more in certain spots” and want to continue using both running backs.
There’s nothing wrong with the Pats having trust in Stevenson, given his experience and what he’s shown this season. However, it's clear that Henderson is the better and more explosive option, and if you’re Vrabel or OC Josh McDaniels, you must continue to ride the hot hand.
As we look towards the future with this RB rotation, it’ll be interesting to see what New England does with Stevenson, who just signed a four-year, $36 million contract extension in Jun. 2024. The 27-year-old running back doesn’t have an out in his contract until 2027 and has a cap hit of $7.6 million, per Spotrac.
Could the Pats find a suitor for Stevenson? Possibly, given what he does as a runner and pass catcher out of the backfield. But at the same time, New England won’t give just him away for cheap.
That said, if Henderson continues to play well and show growth, he’ll eventually make the answer easy for Vrabel and the Patriots’ front office brass.