Sportsnaut
The New England Patriots defeated the Minnesota Vikings by a score of 20-12 to improve to 2-0 in the preseason, and running back TreVeyon Henderson was once again a standout.
Henderson only played a handful of drives, but showcased everything that makes him an exciting talent. The Ohio State product rushed for 20 yards on four carries and also found the end zone.
Through two preseason games, Henderson has been fantastic on special teams. The second-round pick returned a kickoff 100 yards to the house during the first play of the opening preseason contest versus the Washington Commanders. The 22-year-old has also shown some promise in the rushing game. However, the key to his success in that area could come down to one position battle on the offensive line.
Though rookie Jared Wilson was believed to have already locked down the starting spot at left guard for the Patriots, the competition appears to be open still. Ben Brown took first-team reps during Saturday’s contest in Minnesota, and Wilson did most of his work with the backups.
After the game, head coach Mike Vrabel confirmed that the starting left guard job is still up for grabs.
“Just trying to get everyone in the spots they may end up in and still have competition at left guard,” Vrabel said via Alex Barth of 98.5 The Sports Hub. “Making sure that he’s [Jared Wilson] where he needs to be. I give him credit, he wasn’t able to practice on Thursday. Worked hard to get back.”
Wilson did miss practice on Thursday ahead of this weekend’s game, but the third-round pick ended up playing and taking snaps with the second team.
Brown started ten games at center for the Patriots last year, but he also has the versatility to play guard. It looks like Wilson hasn’t done enough at this point to secure the left guard spot, so the position battle will continue.
Henderson will need a solid offensive line with continuity if he wants to have a productive rookie campaign. We’ll see what the starting line combination will look like when New England hosts the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 1.
More must-reads:
