FOXBORO — TreVeyon Henderson has turned heads with his speed and burst in his first NFL training camp.
It didn’t take long for that to translate to a game setting.
During Friday night’s preseason opener against the Washington Commanders at Gillette Stadium, the Patriots rookie running back received the opening kickoff at his own goal line, found a seam on the left side and took off. After getting a key block from fellow rookie Elijah Ponder, Henderson reversed field, broke a tackle at New England’s 40-yard line and then outran Commanders kickoff man Tress Way to score a 100-yard touchdown on his first touch as a pro.
THE FIRST TIME HE TOUCHED THE BALL IN THE NFL!!!@TreVeyonH4 | @NFL
📺: WBZ pic.twitter.com/NcT2a635nx
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) August 8, 2025
Henderson, a second-round draft pick who rushed for 1,016 yards and averaged 7.1 yards per carry for Ohio State last season, already was expected to factor into New England’s backfield rotation along with Rhamondre Stevenson and Antonio Gibson. This emphatic introduction showed he could be an impact player in the kicking game, too.
“He’s going to be a problem!” Patriots great James White posted on X.
Later, the way the Patriots deployed Henderson on offense suggested he might be close to leapfrogging both of his veteran position mates on the running back depth chart.
Stevenson started the game, but Henderson was heavily involved during starting quarterback Drake Maye’s two possessions, catching three passes for 12 yards and ripping off an 18-yard carry. On his third reception — which came out of a “pony” set with Henderson and Stevenson flanking Maye — he shook a would-be tackler and then trucked a Washington defender after picking up a first down. Maye scrambled in for a 5-yard touchdown three plays later.
New England lifted Maye after that series and inserted Joshua Dobbs. Notably, Henderson did not play any snaps with the backup QB, watching from the sideline as Stevenson, Gibson and later undrafted rookie Lan Larison rotated. Stevenson was shut down for the night after Dobbs’ first drive.
Earlier in the week, after Henderson caught two touchdown passes from Maye in one practice and began eating into Stevenson’s first-team reps, Patriots linebacker Christian Elliss called the 22-year-old “an amazing addition to this team.”
“I see nothing but greatness in him,” Elliss said. “I think he’s gonna be amazing. I can’t speak highly enough of him. He even got me on a go route the other day that I just, I honestly wasn’t expecting out of him. And he just keeps showing that he can play.”
Originally Published: August 8, 2025 at 8:32 PM EDT