New England Patriots - NESN.com
Neither Rhamondre Stevenson nor TreVeyon Henderson played in the New England Patriots’ preseason finale against the New York Giants on Thursday night.
ESPN’s Mike Reiss has an idea of how the backfield snaps will be divided during the regular season, however, and he’s using the Detroit Lions’ elite pairing of David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs as a “template.”
“Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels described Henderson, the second-round pick from Ohio State who has been one of the stars of training camp, as ‘fast, fast’ in explaining how the team hasn’t had a running back with his skill set,” Reiss wrote. “He could play a similar role in New England to what speedy Jahmyr Gibbs plays in Detroit (57% of snaps in 2023, 56% of snaps in 2024).”
ESPN’s NFL Nation reporters broke down “How every 2025 NFL draft pick has looked in the preseason” on Friday morning and similarly compared Henderson to the Lions’ two-time Pro Bowler.
“Henderson has a different gear the Patriots haven’t had in the backfield in a long time. He returned the opening kickoff of the preseason 100 yards for a touchdown. In the second game, he had an impressive 8-yard TD run in which he sliced through the left side despite little daylight,” the report said. “Using the Lions as a template, he’ll be the Patriots’ version of Jahmyr Gibbs, with Rhamondre Stevenson filling the David Montgomery role.”
If Henderson and Stevenson can come anywhere close to Gibbs’ and Montgomery’s production, Patriots fans would be elated.
“Sonic” (Gibbs) and “Knuckles” (Montgomery) have combined for 4,147 rushing yards and 51 rushing touchdowns during their two seasons together.
Gibbs finished fourth in the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year voting in 2023 and eighth in the AP Offensive Player of the Year voting in 2024. The former 12th overall pick led the NFL with 20 total touchdowns last season and tied for first with his 16 rushing scores.
Though he’s yet to play in a meaningful NFL contest, Henderson has certainly looked the part of a future Pro Bowler this summer. The Ohio State product led all New England running backs this preseason in yards per carry (7.6), having recorded five rushing attempts for 38 yards and one touchdown. Henderson added two kickoff returns for 126 yards, including a 100-yard touchdown on his first NFL touch as well.
