The Patriots lost one of their most experienced running backs, Antonio Gibson, against the Buffalo Bills Sunday, and he leaves a void in a position group that’s already struggled through the first five weeks of the season.
Could rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson find his footing as New England sees a friendlier set of foes through October and November?
The Patriots enter Week 6 ranked 28th in yards per rushing attempt as a team. Their lack of production is a surprise because they look like they have the ingredients for a formidable ground game: a dual-threat quarterback in Drake Maye, an offensive line that looked stoutly capable of blocking for runners over the summer, and Henderson’s dynamic preseason performances.
“We’ve had some good runs, it’s just not enough of them,” Mike Vrabel said. “Not enough doubt-digit runs that help your average. So again, I think that we’ve got to stop talking about being one guy away, or one block away. I think that was a big theme from last week, and that will have to fix.”
Sure, not one guy away, but with one guy lost to an ACL tear, the pressure has to be on Henderson a bit more – especially considering Rhamondre Stevenson’s continued fumbling tendencies.
Monday morning, Vrabel discussed the rookie’s growing pains in pass protection:
“Well, we practice it. I mean, you have to practice it, and again, we believe in TreVeyon. We've seen him protect a bunch in college, identifying who to block, then going to close the distance, coming to balance, not catching and all those things that are important. So, we'll give him the tools, we'll practice with him, he's willing and I'm confident that that will continue to improve.”
Henderson’s issues picking up the blitz have shown up in game tape early this season. The steepness of the learning curve is quite the departure from the game Henderson showed in college. Executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf singled out that part of his game the night they drafted him last April.
“As far as a third down standpoint, he's a really good pass protector,” he said at that time.
Henderson has played 39% of snaps through five weeks, considerably less than Stevenson, who has played 55%. Their running production has been pretty similar, though: both backs are averaging 3.7 and 3.8 yards per attempt, respectively. According to NFL NextGen Stats, that ranks the two backs at 32nd and 33rd among others in the league, a few notches behind New York’s Cam Skattebo, but ahead of say, Tampa Bay's Bucky Irving. Unfortunately, those guys’ total yardage is twice what Henderson has tallied, and still 100 yards greater than Stevenson’s season total.
Stevenson has also actively hurt the team with his fumbling habit. He's turned the ball over three times in the last three games, with no tidy explanation or reasoning.
As Vrabel previously noted, Henderson’s pass protection mistakes aren’t for a lack of trying, but more, a lack of experience.
“It’s different, for sure. These guys, they work a lot. This is what they get paid for, to get to the quarterback. It’s something I want to continue to grow at. I knew it was going to be a challenge coming in,” Henderson told WEEI at his locker. “But, just being able to get reps out there in the game, and in practice, it’s helping me a lot. I’m learning a lot, and I’m definitely trying to get better.”
The Patriots travel to the Big Easy Sunday to face a Saints team who earned their first win of the season over the New York Giants Sunday. New Orleans has an average run defense, but they brought the blitz against quarterback Jaxson Dart on a hefty 36% of dropbacks in that win.
In order to keep a balanced offense, the Patriots will need to unlock Henderson’s speed, and he’ll need to gain trust in pass protection – quickly.
“I’m trying my best to just earn a role on this team, wherever the coaches see fit, whether it’s offense, special teams, running the ball or pass protection,” Henderson said.