Insider Thinks Patriots Could Make Polarizing ‘Workhorse’ Decision

The New England Patriots have been without Rhamondre Stevenson for the last three games, but ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported that he is targeting a return to the field in Week 12.

Stevenson’s absence has opened the door for TreVeyon Henderson. Henderson has started the last three games, scoring five total touchdowns. He has 264 rushing yards and 66 receiving yards in those games, leading to questions on how the backfield will be split when Stevenson returns. Patriots insider Phil Perry still anticipates Stevenson being the “workhorse.”

“Whenever Stevenson (toe) is healthy and ready to go, my expectation would be that he’ll be more of the workhorse back, as he was before his injury, and Henderson would spell him depending on the situation,” Perry wrote for NBC Sports Boston on Wednesday. “Could the workload be more split than it was the last time both were available? Sure. Stevenson got 50 snaps against the Browns in Week 8, while Henderson saw just 14. But seeing Henderson get 20 touches or more with Stevenson healthy feels unlikely.”

Stevenson had started the first eight games for the Patriots, totaling 279 rushing yards and 169 receiving yards. Henderson nearly put up better numbers in the last three games, which has many fans clamoring for him to be the lead back for the rest of the season.

Henderson has averaged 5.6 yards per attempt in the last three games. Stevenson is averaging 3.4 yards per attempt on the season. Henderson has looked better in a limited sample size recently, which makes it somewhat shocking that Stevenson is expected to take over as the lead back again.

The decision to feature Stevenson more than Henderson could raise some questions among the fan base. The Patriots drafted Henderson in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft, and in Stevenson’s absence, he has proved why the team spent an early pick on him. He has made a case to be the featured back, but Stevenson still deserves a role.

How the backfield split looks will be something to monitor if Stevenson plays against the Bengals. He was a limited participant in practice on Wednesday.