Twelve seconds. That's how much time Patriots rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson needed to get Patriots fans ecstatic about the fun things he's going to do for the team. On the opening kickoff of the preseason, Henderson found a hole and went 100 yards for a touchdown. Boom!
In just the first quarter, Henderson had 130 all-purpose yards, after he took a run for 18 yards and caught a pass from Drake Maye for another 12. That's about as close to a dream quarter as Pats fans could have asked for from their second round pick.
But it also immediately puts the Patriots decision-makers in an interesting spot; is Henderson going to be the full-time returner for the Pats in 2025? Or will he exclusively man the backfield with Drake Maye?
TreVeyon Henderson so far:
— Underdog NFL (@UnderdogNFL) August 8, 2025
100-yard kick return TD
18 rushing yards
12 receiving yardspic.twitter.com/blgXNiFTwv
Henderson will likely be a workhorse for Patriots
Rhamondre Stevenson is a fine enough NFL running back, but the Patriots drafted Henderson with the No. 38 pick in April's draft with the expectation that he'll be an immediate contributor right off the bat. But if Henderson is getting 15-plus carries a game and his snap count is already high, does it make sense to have him field returns, too?
At Ohio State, Henderson returned a total of nine kicks in four years, with eight of them coming last year. He wasn't even a particularly great returner, so I don't think it makes a ton of sense to have him return kicks when he's already going to be such a weapon for the offense.
If he has another return like this one, though.... maybe my tune will change. At the moment, there doesn't have to be a decision. Just admiration. Because, wow.