Bear Digest

TreVeyon Henderson Thought He Was Going to Be a Chicago Bear

...and it sounds like he was initially disappointed that he wasn't.
Jerry Markarian|
Feb 2, 2026; San Jose, CA, USA; New England Patriots running back Treveyon Henderson (32) speaks to media during Opening Night for Super Bowl LX at San Jose Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images
Feb 2, 2026; San Jose, CA, USA; New England Patriots running back Treveyon Henderson (32) speaks to media during Opening Night for Super Bowl LX at San Jose Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images | Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

Many thought Ohio State running back TreVeyon Henderson was an ideal candidate for the Bears in the second round. He would instantly shore up one of their most glaring weaknesses and provide some much-needed juice to an uninspiring RB room.

It sure sounds like he also agreed with that sentiment.

"I was getting the call and my TV was a little delayed, and the Chicago Bears, I thought that they were up," Henderson said at yesterday's Super Bowl 60 media session. "When I got the phone call, I thought that it was the Chicago Bears."

Interestingly, Henderson also mentioned that he wasn't exactly thrilled to be going to New England.

"When they told me it was the New England Patriots, I was smiling but my heart sunk," Henderson said. "During the draft process, everyone was telling me the Patriots were the last team that you want to go to. I'm trying to dodge the Patriots at all costs, but then I got picked by them and it was such a crazy moment."

Huh, it's almost like he saw it coming. It almost seemed like he knew that he would be criminally underutilized despite being one of the league's most talented rookie running backs.

All jokes aside (it really was just a joke, coming from a frustrated former fantasy owner of TreVeyon Henderson), the situation worked out just fine for the rookie running back. The Patriots are representing the AFC in the Super Bowl, and he is in the midst of an impressive rookie season (*cough that should've been a lot better cough*) with 1132 yards from scrimmage and ten total touchdowns.

He hasn't made much of an impact in the playoffs, but his future still appears very bright. I don't think the Patriots have any regrets about selecting him with the 38th pick.

The Bears would've ultimately had an interesting decision to make if Henderson were still on the board one pick later. They ultimately went with Luther Burden III. A selection that turned heads, considering the assets the team already committed to the receiver position.

I like to think they would've done the same if both players were there for the taking.

Like Henderson, Burden might've started slow, but he really began to heat up down the stretch. He had a great season in his own right, finishing the year with 47 catches for 652 yards and two touchdowns.

Some believe Burden has the highest ceiling among Chicago's pass-catchers, and I don't think that's much of a stretch. He's a true game-changer.

For as talented as Burden may be, the Bears would still be in a precarious situation if they didn't address the running back position in the draft. They eventually did, and they landed one of the biggest steals in the entire class with the seventh-round selection of Kyle Monangai.

Monangai initially seemed like a consolation prize. He was seen as a late-round value, but many still lamented the fact that they didn't take an earlier stab at the position in what was considered a generational running back class.

Then the regular season started.

Monangai was a revelation. Despite being the 22nd running back off the board, Monangai was one of the league's most productive rookies. He made everyone criticizing the Bears' process look silly and made everyone forget about the running backs that they (consistently) barely missed out on, including Henderson.

The above tweet garnered a lot of traction at the time, but it didn't age well. Both players worked out great for their respective squads. It's an example of giving up on players far too early, as they both began heating up shortly thereafter.

Factoring in the value of adding Monangai in the seventh round, I don't think the Bears have any complaints with how the draft went. At least not any of the picks on the offensive side of the ball (the Ben Johnson effect).

Henderson might be a great player, but the Bears won't be green with envy anytime soon.

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Jerry Markarian
JERRY MARKARIAN

Jerry Markarian has been an avid Chicago Bears fan since 2010 and has been writing about the team since 2022. He has survived the 2010 NFC Championship Game, a career-ending injury to his favorite player (Johnny Knox), the Bears' 2013 season finale, a Double Doink, Mitchell Trubisky, Justin Fields, and Weeks 8-17 of the 2024 NFL season. Nevertheless, he still Bears Down!

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