Right out of the gate, it looked like the New England Patriots had struck gold with their running back selection of TreVeyon Henderson. A 100-yard kick return to announce his arrival in the preseason seemed like a sign of things to come from the youngster trying to establish a long-term pair with quarterback Drake Maye.
However, his performance during the regular season has been hit and miss so far. Some of that is on the player himself, but the Patriots have put him third on the depth chart behind both Rhamondre Stevenson and Antonio Gibson. Unfortunately, that trend continued in a tightly contested first half against the Miami Dolphins, where Henderson failed to get a ton of touches.
What Happened to TreVeyon Henderson?
In Week 1, Henderson had very few opportunities to carve up the Las Vegas Raiders. As New England was soundly defeated by the team owned by franchise legend Tom Brady, the Ohio State product could only make 27 yards on the ground on five carries.
Things didn’t take a turn for the better against Miami. After getting demolished by the lowly Indianapolis Colts in Week 1, the Dolphins were coming into the game with a clear sense of desperation, especially after holding a players-only meeting during the week.
It led to a more energized performance from the unit, with the score at 15-14 in favor of New England going into halftime. However, Henderson was once again a non-factor. Getting just two carries, he added eight yards to the Patriots’ tally.
On the other hand, Stevenson had eight carries to his name for 55 yards, whereas Gibson got four touches as well, during which he tallied 12 yards. Even Maye, who has made it a habit of tallying scrambles together, had taken off on the ground six times.
Patriots RBs rush production at half:
Rhamondre Stevenson 8/55/0
Antonio Gibson 4/12/0
TreVeyon Henderson 2/8/0— Underdog NFL (@UnderdogNFL) September 14, 2025
Alongside 230 passing yards and two touchdowns, he had scrambled to add another 31 yards on the board on the ground, taking a major step-up after a disappointing performance in Week 1 against the Raiders.
While the slow integration for their rookie is an understandable choice by veteran head coach Mike Vrabel, fans might have been hoping for more from Henderson, who was taken with the 38th overall pick in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Things didn’t turn around in the second half either. Adding just one more carry to his total, Henderson ended the game with just 10 rushing yards. However, he did have two receptions worth 30 yards through the air, as New England walked away with a 33-27 victory.
If the game plan continues to work for the Patriots, they might not make the switch immediately. However, in the long term, fans have to hope that Vrabel will eventually make Henderson the RB1.
