After the New England Patriots announced they were picking Ohio State running back TreVeyon Henderson with their second-round pick in this year's draft, questions began to pour in regarding how the backfield would be handled, with Rhamondre Stevenson expected to remain the starter.
Those questions continued throughout the summer and well into the start of the 2025 season, especially after Stevenson struggled with ball security at the beginning of the year. Despite that, Henderson didn't see much of an uptick in snaps until Stevenson suffered a toe injury three weeks ago, and now that he's on the brink of returning, there are concerns about how Mike Vrabel will split their usage.
It's particularly concerning since the rookie is coming off an impressive performance against the Jets, when he recorded two rushing and one receiving touchdown.
The assumption is that Henderson will take a backseat to Stevenson again, and based on what Vrabel said about the situation, it doesn't seem like it will be an easy decision, regardless of how great he has played in the veteran's absence.
The Patriots need to figure out the best way to conduct their backfield with Rhamondre Stevenson back in the lineup
The Patriots' head coach was asked how they will determine snap counts with Stevenson expected to be ready to go this week, and Vrabel didn't really provide much intel beyond saying it will be an inevitable conversation they'll have when the time comes.
With TreVeyon Henderson playing well in Rhamondre Stevenson’s absence, Mike Vrabel was asked if there will be a more even workload between the two once Stevenson is back from injury:
“I think we’ll probably have to have that conversation when it’s certain that we’re gonna have… pic.twitter.com/e3MKpvj6cH
— Tom Carroll (@yaboiTCfresh) November 19, 2025
In the days leading up to Sunday's matchup with the Bengals, NFL insider Jeremy Fowler gave his take on the pending situation between the running backs, sharing his belief that the Patriots will find a "sweet spot" in using both players moving forward.
Hopefully, that means a bit more equally than what we had been seeing before Stevenson got injured.
"One interesting theme from New England is what the team does with its backfield coming off TreVeyon Henderson's three-game star turn, including three touchdowns against New York. I'm told Rhamondre Stevenson is targeting a return from a toe injury this week, and Maye referred to Henderson-Stevenson as a "one-two punch" for the stretch run.
But Henderson's usage was way down at 6.8 rushing attempts per game with Stevenson in the lineup, compared to nearly 16 attempts without him. Henderson's talent is undeniable at this point, so his usage shouldn't return to those low numbers. But it's also a long season, so expect the Patriots to find a sweet spot to utilize both in the flow of the game."
Considering Henderson impressed in back-to-back games for the team, recording five total touchdowns against the Bucs and Jets, it would be foolish for the team to cast him aside in favor of Stevenson, regardless of how efficient he might be.
There is certainly a way to utilize both that allows the offense to leverage their strengths, and Henderson has gone above and beyond to prove that he can be the future of the running back room over the past two weeks.
With a few tough games left on the schedule, they cannot completely abandon how they have operated in Stevenson's absence. So hopefully, Josh McDaniels will find a happy medium that allows both players to be used appropriately to the best of their abilities.