Ahead of Sunday’s game against the Atlanta Falcons, the New England Patriots found out on Friday afternoon that they will be without Rhamondre Stevenson. According to ESPN’s Mike Reiss, the veteran running back was ruled out with a toe injury.
Stevenson missed the first two days of practice this week, setting the stage for him to be ruled out for Sunday’s clash. With Stevenson sidelined, the hope among Patriots fans is that rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson will be fully unleashed.
The former Ohio State running back is coming off his best performance on the ground last week, racking up 75 yards on 10 carries against the vaunted Cleveland Browns’ defense. That said, if the young running back was able to do that vs. the Browns, imagine what he’ll do vs. Atlanta as the lead guy.
The Falcons enter this weekend’s matchup with the 22nd-ranked run defense, allowing 126.4 yards per game. However, if the first eight weeks of the season tell us anything, Henderson may not be the biggest winner of Stevenson not playing.
Rhamondre Stevenson’s Injury Might Force Patriots to Pursue RB Trade
Before Stevenson got banged up, the Patriots were not willing to increase the rookie's role, even though the veteran had four games where he averaged less than three yards per carry, which includes last week’s win over the Cleveland Browns (2.4 YPC).
The performance of the Patriots’ backfield in general has led to some trade chatter over the last couple of weeks, with the deadline on the horizon. New England could use a clear-cut RB1 or someone who has shown he can carry a huge workload, like Tennessee Titans RB Tony Pollard, for example.
Pollard would be an upgrade over Stevenson and would be a good complement to Henderson, who still hasn’t earned the trust of the Pats’ coaching staff.
As of right now, we don’t know how long Stevenson will be out. But with Sunday’s game vs. the Falcons, marking the final game before the deadline, the Patriots can’t afford to play wait and see. If Henderson plays well, that will be great. But that won’t stop them from possibly acquiring a veteran RB at the deadline.
Potential Terrell Jennings’ Breakout Could Work Out in TreVeyon Henderson’s Favor
That being said, there’s still one more thing that could stand in the way of New England making a trade for another RB. And that is Terrell Jennings. The Patriots recently signed Jennings to the 53-man roster after elevating him from the practice squad three times.
Every time the Pats have called on him since Antonio Gibson’s injury, the 24-year-old Jennings has admirably done his job, which captured the attention of head coach Mike Vrabel. Without Stevenson on the field, there should be a few more snaps available for Jennings to show what he can do.
This season, the young running back has only 33 yards on seven carries, which is nothing to write home about. However, let’s just say Jennings gets 10 carries on Sunday and averages four yards a carry; it should give the Pats something to think about.
A strong performance from Jennings as Henderson’s backup could bode well for the rookie for the second half of the season. The Patriots would most likely focus their attention on a pass rusher instead of a running back.