How a 27-Year-Old RB’s Injury Shakes Up New England’s Depth Chart

Sunday was a great day for the New England Patriots, who defeated the reigning AFC East champion Buffalo Bills for the third time in their last five meetings. Unfortunately, they received some bad news on Monday as it was announced that Antonio Gibson tore his ACL and will miss the rest of the season. With Gibson out, that shakes up the Patriots' depth chart indefinitely. In today’s piece, we’ll look at what it means for the depth chart and who the team could target to replace him.

Who Else Is on the Depth Chart?

While Gibson was never the lead back in New England’s offense, he definitely had a role every week. Averaging about 10 offensive snaps a game, he’s helped to ease in rookie TreVeyon Henderson’s workload. Henderson has played 39% of snaps while Rhamondre Stevenson has served as the lead back. With the injury to Gibson, expect the 38th-overall pick’s snap share to increase significantly. Additionally, the only other healthy running back in the organization is Terrell Jennings, a 2024 undrafted free agent who spent most of last season and all of this one on the practice squad.

Pats Hope to Improve Their Rushing Attack

Being one game behind the Bills for the division lead is very surprising considering how the team has been running the ball. According to rbsdm.com, the Patriots have the lowest rushing EPA in the league and the second-lowest rushing success rate. With their top two running backs now expected to split time and both exhibiting yards per carry averages under four yards, something has to change. Either Stevenson has to step up and prove himself as a three-down back, or Henderson has to take over as the lead back.

Free Agent Signing Could Be on the Horizon

If the Patriots want to add a new face to the running back room, there are some useful options in free agency, such as Gus Edwards, Zack Moss, and Cordarrelle Patterson. While Edwards might be the best pure running back on the market, he might not be what the Patriots are looking for. The Liberian running back has scored 17 rushing touchdowns in his 28 games played since 2023, but he has only had 15 receptions since then. Also, there’s Moss, who has question marks regarding his neck injury from last year. Before being released in July, Moss was placed on the non-football injury list and was looking to make a comeback, but the timetable is still unknown on whether he’s fully healthy and able to return. Lastly, there’s Patterson, who might have the best case to replace Gibson. First of all, he’s always been known as a reliable pass-catcher, transitioning from wide receiver to running back in the middle of his career. Also, he has experience not only as a former Patriot but as a familiar face of Arthur Smith—who served in Mike Vrabel's coaching staff for three seasons—since he played his previous four seasons on Smith’s offenses.