FOXBOROUGH – This offseason, TreVeyon Henderson looked dynamic.
The rookie was the fastest player on the Patriots practice field. That was seen in the summer when he returned a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown, the first time he touched the ball in the preseason.
The second-round pick looked like an explosive weapon for the Patriots offense. This season, however, the results haven’t materialized statistically like some thought, but that doesn’t mean the future isn’t bright for Henderson.
Patriots running backs coach Tony Dews explained why he’s still bullish on the young running back.
“I don’t want to put that expectation on anybody. But I had an opportunity, throughout these seven years of mine, to coach some rookies, and he has progressed as well or better than any of the other rookies I’ve coached,” Dews said. “It’s a long season, a lot of things are happening, and it’s important to him. He works at it, and he is progressing. He is getting better, and it’ll come.”
Through six games, Henderson has 148 rushing yards with a touchdown. He’s averaging 3.6 yards per rush. The rookie also has 16 catches for 99 yards. Under Josh McDaniels, it’s not unusual for rookie backs to struggle in their first NFL season.
In 2014, James White played in three games as a rookie. By Year 2, he was the team’s third-down back. White developed into one of the best receiving backs in Patriots franchise history when he caught 87 passes for 751 yards in 2018.
The story was similar for the third-down back before him with Shane Vereen. A second-round pick, Vereen played in five games as a rookie in 2011. He also developed into the Patriots third-down back. Vereen led the Patriots in receptions (11) in their Super Bowl win over Seattle in 2014.
Dews didn’t want to compare Henderson to either player, but noted that when he talks to McDaniels, the offensive coordinator said Henderson is on the right path compared to players he’s had in the past.
“He is progressing well. He’s moving right along,” Dews said. “When I talk to Josh and just ask about the guys here in the past, it sounds like from Josh that he’s very much on par with what some of the other guys that played early as rookies, he feels like he’s in that same world where they were at this point in their rookie seasons. He’s continuing to get better.”
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