There were moments during his 2025 rookie season that TreVeyon Henderson looked like a superstar in the making and potential future difference maker for the New England Patriots offense. Seven weeks into his sophomore campaign, that future has not yet arrived.
In fact, the opposite has been the case. Henderson has been largely quiet and is trailing his rookie production so far.
However, he still enjoys the Patriots’ full support as head coach Mike Vrabel confirmed after the young running back played
only 13 of 54 snaps during last Thursday’s loss to the Chicago Bears.
“We had some things for him, packages or personnel groupings,” Vrabel said. “TreVeyon will help us, but I wanted to see where we were with Corey [Kiner] getting a couple carries too.”
Henderson’s limited usage against the Bears appears to be the result of two factors: third running back Corey Kiner coming off a solid performance four days earlier versus the New York Jets, and the 24-year-old himself being just 11 days removed from suffering a reported high ankle sprain.
In general, Henderson has been limited by injuries for much of 2026 so far. Besides his recent sprained ankle, he also suffered an ankle injury in late August that forced him out multiple weeks into the regular season.
Since his return in Week 2 against Pittsburgh — a game that saw him score a 39-yard touchdown reminiscent of his 2025 form — he has touched the ball 57 total times for 248 scrimmage yards and that one score. Those numbers put him on track for around 700 yards and three touchdowns this season, a far cry from the 1,132 and 10 TDs he had last year.
Obviously, the circumstances do not work in his favor so far; besides his own injury woes, RB1 Rhamondre Stevenson has been reliable both in terms of availability and production. That said, Henderson himself is also still dealing with some of the same issues that plagued him as a first-year pro: his vision remains underdeveloped and his pass protection a work in progress.
Even so, his head coach is confident that the Patriots will find a way to get him involved at a higher rate.
“TreVeyon will help us plenty here down the stretch and helped us a little bit tonight,” Vrabel said on Thursday.
With the Patriots entering their upcoming game against the Dolphins off a mini-bye, and the extra rest it brings, Henderson might get his chance to help the team as early as Week 8.
