FOXBOROUGH – The potential was so obvious that it didn’t take an NFL scout to see TreVeyon Henderson’s talent.
This offseason, the rookie was the fastest player on the Patriots practice field. In the preseason, the second-round pick looked like the team’s most explosive offensive weapon. The first time he touched a ball in the preseason, he ran back 100 yards for a kick return touchdown.
His performance made many think that Henderson would be one focal point for the Patriots when the regular season started. However, they opted to stick with veteran Rhamondre Stevenson. Although the veteran looked explosive in his own right a week ago in Miami, it came crashing down on Sunday in the Patriots’ 21-14 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
After watching Stevenson fumble twice and Antonio Gibson fumble once, the Patriots finished their Week 3 matchup with Henderson as their top running back. After three weeks of playing in a backup role, the Patriots should move forward with the rookie as their top option.
“I’ll really leave it up to coach. I’m definitely, definitely comfortable,” Henderson said when asked about being the top running back. “I’m learning how to embrace whatever God puts in front of me. That decision really comes up to the coaches, what they decide to do. My biggest thing is earn a role, just try to work as hard as I can. Come to practice and try to earn a role on this team. The rest, I leave up to God and the ones that make that decision.”
There’s an obvious reason why Henderson hasn’t been the Patriots’ lead back. It has little to do with his ability as a running back or pass catcher. It has to do with his struggles in blitz pickup.
In the Patriots Week 2 win over the Dolphins, Henderson was responsible for two of the three sacks allowed on Drake Maye. On Sunday, it appeared as though the rookie allowed another hit on the Patriots quarterback. That’s probably why, after Stevenson fumbled for a second time, the Patriots turned to Gibson to be their lead back.
One series later, disaster struck for the third time as Gibson fumbled.
Over 35 minutes of football, and the Patriots veteran running backs lost three fumbles. That’s what led the coaching staff to insert Henderson into the game as their top back.
“It’s tough. I’m pretty sure we’re going to get criticized, but it comes with the game,” Gibson said. “That’s the job we play. We’ve been in it for a while. We just keep pushing. We know what we’re capable of. All our running backs are capable. Shout out to (Henderson) for finishing the game like he did. It takes a group.”
After Gibson’s fumble, Henderson was the only Patriots running back to touch the ball on Sunday.
In the next drive, the rookie touched the ball seven out of 15 snaps. That included a fourth-down conversion. The Patriots capped that series off with their second touchdown of the afternoon. In the fourth quarter, he had three carries for 13 yards and added an 8-yard reception.
He said that after Gibson’s fumble, he knew it would be his time.
“I pretty much did expect from there that I was going to get a lot more opportunities,” Henderson said. “And so, I’m grateful for it.”
The rookie finished with 28 rushing yards on 11 carries. He also caught three passes for 19 yards. Through three games, Henderson has touched the ball 30 times for 138 yards from scrimmage. That only trails Stevenson (225 total yards), Hunter Henry (165 yards), and Kayshon Boutte (147 yards) on the Patriots.
Stevenson has shown himself to be a versatile running back who can help the Patriots win. However, after fumbling six times last season, it’s tough to go back to the veteran after the two fumbles on Sunday.
“I have to hold onto the ball to have value and put value on this team,” Stevenson said. “If I can’t hold the ball, then they don’t need me.”
Henderson hasn’t been perfect this season and needs to clean up his pass protection. However, the Patriots aren’t a good enough team to not play an ultra-athletic rookie who has elite speed.
We all saw the promise this offseason. It’s time for the Patriots to unleash the rookie.
“It was a difficult day for us, for sure, with three fumbles as a room, as a collective room. And so, that’s not our standard,” Henderson said. “It’s not on those guys. We’re one as a team. We’ve got each other’s back. We’re going to uplift each other. We’re going to hold one another accountable. But we’re going to keep working and move forward. Those guys, Antonio and Rhamondre, are very talented. I know those guys are going to learn from this and grow from this.”
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