(Photo by Johnnie Izquierdo/Getty Images)
Rhamondre Stevenson #38 of the New England Patriots rushes for a touchdown against the Tennessee Titans during the third quarter of the game at Nissan Stadium on October 19, 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Johnnie Izquierdo/Getty Images)
One of the aspects of the 2025 Patriots that was expected to be a strength throughout the year was the strong running-back room, where incumbent star Rhamondre Stevenson would be backed up by versatile veteran Antonio Gibson, with rookie TreVeyon Henderson a big-play threat who could eventually challenge for the starting role.
Instead, Stevenson’s fumbling issues have resurfaced, Gibson tore his ACL in Week 4 and Henderson has gotten off to a slow start. The most consistent aspect of the running game to this point has been what’s been provided by the scrambling and athleticism of quarterback Drake Maye.
And things are looking a bit bleaker for Week 9. That’s because coach Mike Vrabel announced that starter Rhamondre Stevenson–slowed this week and held out of practice with a toe injury–will not play against Atlanta on Sunday.
Rhamondre Stevenson Status Unclear Beyond Week 9
Vrabel did not offer any long-term prognosis for Stevenson. “Rhamondre will be out this week, everybody else does not have a designation,” Vrabel said.
Vrabel was asked when Stevenson might be back and would only say, “It certainly won’t be this week.”
That means the job will fall to Henderson, who started the season in the coaching staff’s doghouse because of his struggle with pass blocking. Henderson had his best day carrying the ball last week in the win over the Browns, when he went for 75 yards on 10 carries, but closed the day with an asterisk–he fumbled on his final carry.
Patriots Loading Up to Replace Rhamondre Stevenson
As risky as it may be to have Henderson as the RB1, what’s behind Henderson could be even more of a crapshoot. The Patriots added three running backs to the depth chart this week, signing veterans D’Ernest Johnson and Jonathan Ward as well as Rushawn Baker to the practice squad. Already, the team has Terrell Jennings, a three-time practice-squad elevatee, now serving as Henderson’s backup.
Jennings has just seven carries for 33 yards this season, and 20 carries for 66 yards in his two NFL seasons. Vrabel said, though, that it’s still uncertain who will be active in the rubbing-back group on Sunday.
“We try to decide who is ready to go at the end of the week,” he noted. “We will make that decision tomorrow. We tell everybody when they get here on Wednesday, whoever is here on the active or the practice squad, prepare as a starter. I feel like those guys have done that, try to do that. Continue to try to get everybody ready for the football game.”
GettyMike Vrabel New England Patriots
Patriots Ready for Michael Penix Jr.
The Patriots did get a key update from the other side of the injury report when they learned that Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. will start on Sunday instead of veteran Kirk Cousins.
Penix has played six games this season, missing last week with a bruised knee. He has completed 61% of his passes for 1,409 yards and five touchdowns, with three interceptions.
Vrabel had addressed the challenge of preparing for both guys earlier in the week.
“We’ll practice both ways, and we’ll have to make sure that one’s a little bit more mobile than the other, and then be ready to go,” Vrabel said. “I think that the concepts are similar, but there’ll be some different play styles that are different between obviously Michael and Kirk.”
Sean Deveney is a veteran sports reporter covering the NBA, NFL and MLB for Heavy.com. He has written for Heavy since 2019 and has more than two decades of experience covering the NBA, including 17 years as the lead NBA reporter for the Sporting News. Deveney is the author of 7 nonfiction books, including “Fun City,” “Before Wrigley became Wrigley,” and “Facing Michael Jordan.” More about Sean Deveney
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