TreVeyon Henderson came into New England with plenty of buzz, but the latest camp chatter suggests the Patriots may still belong to Rhamondre Stevenson for now.
Henderson was supposed to be one of the team’s offensive pieces when New England took him in the second round last year, and he did deliver a solid rookie season: 911 rushing yards on 180 carries, nine rushing touchdowns, 35 catches for 221 receiving yards, and one receiving touchdown in 17 games. Even so, he never quite took off the way many expected.
Stevenson, meanwhile, spent the year as the Patriots’ lead back outside of a three-game injury absence in the middle of the season. That remained true even after the early turnover problems that dogged him - three fumbles in his first five games, including two in a 21-14 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 2. And based on what’s happening in camp, he appears to be in line to hold the top spot again.
The Athletic’s Chad Graff has already said the workload could at least look even between the two backs. But Tom E. Curran of NBC Sports Boston painted a different picture, saying Stevenson has been “unbelievable” in camp and looks ready to lead the backfield again.
“He is standing out during training camp, too. It's interesting.
I've been on the radio, and other people have, too ... talking about what the roles and what the division of labor will look like in the backfield. Throughout training camp, Mike, it's Rhamondre Stevenson,” Curran said during an episode of ‘Quick Slants.’
“He has had an unbelievable camp. He actually looks slimmer.
He has caught the ball so well out of the backfield. He's getting the ball, I would say, 60-70% of the time, relative to TreVeyon Henderson ... just hold on to the ball.”
That doesn’t mean Henderson is short on talent. The appeal has always been obvious: speed, burst and the kind of big-play juice that can flip a drive in one snap. He flashed that last season, and his 65-yard touchdown against the Buffalo Bills in Week 15 stood out as the kind of play that gets people talking.
He’s also only 23, which leaves plenty of room for growth. But there are still rough edges. Henderson remains a shaky pass blocker, doesn’t have great vision, and still has work to do when it comes to running between the tackles and shedding defenders.
So while the upside is real, the path to a bigger role still looks blocked for the moment. Henderson should have chances to help the Patriots this season, but the signs from camp point to another limited role, with Stevenson keeping a firm grip on the backfield for now.
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