Mike Vrabel’s latest update on Patriots’ running back splits

At the start of the season, the New England Patriots took a balanced approach to splitting up their running back usage. As the season has gone on that has changed, hitting a new extreme this week.

Sunday against the Tennessee Titans, Rhamondre Stevenson played a season-high 75.4% of the Patriots' offensive snaps. Meanwhile rookie TreVeyon Henderson had a season-low 13.8% usage rate.

While things have been trending that way in recent weeks, this game was different. While the two backs set respective highs and lows in usage rate last week (71.9% for Stevenson, 29.7% for Henderson), the workload was still about even. Stevenson touched the ball 13 times, and Henderson 10.

This week the touches more closely resembled the usage. Stevenson got the ball 20 times, and Henderson just twice. In fact, Henderson was in a sense the third back, as practice squad elevation Terrell Jennings was called on to close the game out, getting five touches on nine snaps.

That disparity came as the Patriots had their best rushing performance of the year. The Patriots ran for 177 yards at 5.2 yards per carry, excluding final kneeldowns. Stevenson himself ran for 88 yards - his most in a game since Week 5 of the 2024 season. His performance was one of the reasons Vrabel cited for the running back usage in the game.

"Just kind of how it played out. I thought Rhamondre was running well and had some good protections," Vrabel told reporters on Monday morning.

He did note that while Henderson didn't do as much in this game, the team still wants to keep him involved. "TreVeyon is going to be a large part of what we do," he added. "I just think that the way that the game started and the success that we had, that's kind of where it was this week."

Henderson, the Patriots' second-round pick this past spring out of Ohio State, hasn't been able to get going in his rookie year. After a promising preseason, he's managed just 153 yards on 43 carries, running for 3.6 yards per attempt. He's also struggled in pass protection at times.

Looking ahead, the Patriots will need everybody involved in the run game to be at their best next week. While the Cleveland Browns come in with a 2-5 record, one thing they've done very well is stop the run. They're among the best run defenses in the league, allowing a league-best 3.3 yards per carry. Opposing teams have reached the 100-yard rushing mark just twice in six games, especially impressive given how much Cleveland has trailed in games this year.