Why TreVeyon Henderson Could Be Patriots' 2026 Breakout Star

One season into his NFL career, and New England Patriots running back TreVeyon Henderson already has fans excited about he can continue to bring to the offense this year.

What does he have for an encore in 2026? Could Henderson be one of the Patriots' true breakout stars? If you had to pencil in a list for possible breakout candidates across the entire 91-man roster, Henderson would certainly be on the short list.

According to SI's Eva Geitheim, he's the top name in New England to potentially succeed with a larger role. After playing second fiddle in the run game as a rookie, the dual-threat Henderson -- who could always take it to the house on any given play -- may just see an uptick in snaps and touches as a sophomore.

"TreVeyon Henderson was second in the pecking order in the Patriots’ backfield to Rhamondre Stevenson as a rookie, but he made the most of the opportunities he did receive, rushing for 911 yards and nine touchdowns while averaging 5.1 yards per carry," Geitheim wrote. "A naturally explosive back, Henderson ranked fifth in the NFL among qualified running backs in EPA per attempt (plus-.03) and 10th in rushing yards over expected per carry, according to Next Gen Stats.

"While he will continue to split carries with Stevenson, it only makes sense for his role to expand in Year 2."

How TreVeyon Henderson Can Explode Onto 2026 Scene:

Jan 4, 2026; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots running back TreVeyon Henderson (32) runs the ball against Miami Dolphins center Aaron Brewer (55) during the first quarter at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images | Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

The Offensive Rookie of the Year finalist finished his debut campaign with 1,132 total yards of offense. He continued to get better in the passing game, primarily as a blocker in the backfield, and caught 35 passes as well. Henderson truly has the opportunity to build on that success.

Right now, it's Stevenson and Henderson in the backfield for the Patriots. The rest of the running back room, a group that consists of Terrell Jennings, Lan Larison, Jam Miller and Myles Montgomery, hasn't been able to pop yet. Larison has shown flashes during non-padded OTAs, but until the pads come on, it's hard to truly judge the running back position.

We know that the top two pairing from a year ago with return, and be focal points of the attack. Under offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels in 2025, Stevenson was the ground-and-pound guy while Henderson checked in as the change of pace back and home run threat.

He only played 501 offensive snaps, good for 46% of all of New England's offensive snaps in the regular season last year. It's likely that he'll remain the backup to Stevenson to open up the year, but there's no way that he doesn't surpass 50% of the team's snaps this season.

"I Definitely Want To Continue To Develop"

Part of that will come down to gameplan, but also how much the coaching staff trusts him. Henderson has been vocal about wanting to get better as an overall running back in the passing game, something that could truly help him grow.

"The biggest thing I want to continue to develop, blocking and just during this time running routes out of the backfield, catching the ball out of the backfield," Henderson said at his media availability earlier this month. "This is a time when we can really just continue to enhance those skills. Specifically those two skills, I definitely want to continue to develop."

It's safe to assume that the Patriots' offense will remain a pass-first unit, especially after the addition of both A.J. Brown and Romeo Doubs in the offseason. Yes, Drake Maye will continue to throw the ball over the field as he enters his third season in this offense -- and second under McDaniels.

But Henderson, the blazing fast running back who can break free for a long touchdown at ease, could be the difference maker for New England during the quest for back-to-back AFC East titles.

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