Beat: Terrell Jennings favorite for Pats’ RB3 gig

TreVeyon Henderson’s involvement in the offense could hinge heavily on his pass-protection performance, but Graff believes that if Henderson can hold up in those situations, he and Rhamondre Stevenson are looking at a 50-50 split. In his article over at The Athletic, Graff says the Patriots “want to take advantage of Henderson’s big-play ability, but they believe in Stevenson a bit more to get what’s blocked.” Henderson and Stevenson should both see plenty of work to have standalone fantasy value, but they could prove frustrating to roster in start/sit leagues if their roles become difficult to predict on a week-to-week basis.

Jennings spent time on the active/non-football injury list this summer. He was activated 10 days ago. It is unclear whether the same issue that sidelined him then caused his injured reserve placement. The Patriots correspondingly signed RB JaMycal Hasty.

It’s a concerning development since pass protection cost Henderson major snaps and reps during his disappointing 2025 rookie campaign. Graff said Henderson during training camp has “looked a bit like last season: big, explosive plays, but just enough mistakes in pass protection that it feels like a risk to use him on third downs.” Without serious improvement in his blocking, Henderson’s role likely won’t change all that much in 2026. Meanwhile, Rhamondre Stevenson, per Graff, “has done enough to keep the Patriots’ backfield workload at 50-50.” New England’s backfield is once again shaping up to be frustrating for fantasy purposes in 2026.

Jennings is good to go after an undisclosed injury sidelined him for the first week of training camp. The third-year back is expected to compete for RB3 duties this season.

He can be pulled off at any time. Jennings was the RB3 last year for New England when healthy and figures to be part of the competition again this year if healthy.

The presence of A.J. Brown in the New England offense, Graf said, could stop teams from crowding the line of scrimmage this season. The Patriots in 2025 faced the league’s second highest rate of stacked boxes (eight or more defenders) at 52 percent, as opposing defenses were not afraid of the team’s pass-catching options. This in turn created less-than-optimal conditions for TreVeon Henderson and Rhamondre Stevenson. New England last year ranked 18th in yards before contact per attempt, a rate that could (should) rise if defenses give more respect to the passing attack. Graf said Henderson could continue missing out on valuable snaps if he hasn’t improved his pass protection this offseason.

Smart. Henderson was viewed as a potential passing game contributor as a rookie last year, but veteran RB Rhamondre Stevenson continued to lead the way on passing downs throughout the year. Over the course of the playoffs, Stevenson out-snapped Henderson 54-to-6 on third down and 20-to-17 in the two-minute drill. If Henderson has meaningfully improved pass protection and receiving, he could challenge Stevenson for that role in training camp. Henderson adds that after being tested “physically and mentally” by playing through consecutive extended seasons, at Ohio State and with the Patriots, he has been “refreshed as a full participant in the team’s voluntary offseason program.”

Henderson needed to be a Super Bowl X-factor, but it turned out no Pat was capable of changing the game vs. the Seahawks’ defensive onslaught. The No. 38 overall pick of the draft, Henderson struggled to overtake Rhamondre Stevenson as starter even though he eventually led the team in rushing and totaled 10 touchdowns. As explosive as advertised — he cleared 5.0 yards per carry as the Patriots’ “lightning back,” and finished top 10 in rush yards over expected — Henderson was nevertheless disfavored by the playoffs, where Stevenson was the runaway “1A” option. It was still an ultimately promising rookie season, but Stevenson remains under contract for 2026, and there’s little reason to expect the Pats to abandon their two-back approach following a Super Bowl run. Henderson offers plenty of offseason upside as an RB2 option, but would need something to happen to Stevenson to make a run at RB1 status.

Stevenson qualified as a rare bright spot as one of only two Pats to find the end zone in a 29-13 defeat. Given a new backfield running mate in No. 38 overall back TreVeyon Henderson, Stevenson finished the year as the Pats’ second leading rusher. That, of course, doesn’t tell the full story, as Stevenson survived an early season deluge of fumbles to end up the most trusted back for the stretch run, including the playoffs, where he out-touched Henderson 68-35. Curious, but the Pats’ sharp coaching staff preferred Stevenson’s tough running to Hendo’s home run ability, while the veteran was a (far) superior pass blocker. Stunningly, Stevenson actually led the league in average rush yards over expected. Turning 28 later this month, Stevenson has one season left of guaranteed money. He’s guaranteed to remain a thorn in the side of Henderson partisans, but it stands to reason Hendo will get a longer 2026 runway than he did as a rookie. Stevenson is best treated as a lower-ceiling RB3 in offseason best ball drafts.

There’s not much to see here, folks. Henderson handled just three of the Patriots’ 28 backfield carries in Sunday’s win, with his longest tote going for four yards. The rookie has had single-digit carries in two of the Patriots’ three playoff games this postseason and is averaging just 2.4 YPC on those carries. It’s possible he sees more work in the Super Bowl, but his usage will be hard to predict given his limited touches and lack of efficiency.