The New England Patriots are in a great spot going into their Week 7 matchup with the Tennessee Titans. The Patriots have exceeded expectations with a 4-2 record and have earned the right to be buyers ahead of the Nov. 4 trade deadline.

If the Patriots pursue a trade, one of the most logical targets would be a running back. However, New England is giving mixed signals as Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson have failed to run away with the top role. A curious development came in Sunday’s win over the New Orleans Saints, where Henderson didn’t return kicks and Patriots special teams coordinator Jeremy Springer gave an interesting explanation that may pour gas on any Patriots trade fires.

“Two running backs on the roster,” Springer said via Alex Barth of 98.5 FM The Sports Hub in Boston. “You don’t want to get somebody like that hurt, and he’s a valuable piece of what we do offensively.”

Patriots Could Target New RB After Jeremy Springer’s Telling Comments

While Springer did his best to clarify the situation and added that Henderson has continued to work on fielding kicks during practice, his comments about having two running backs make it clear the Patriots need to bring someone in.

Stevenson has fumbled 10 times since the start of last season, and his performance has hit rock bottom in the past two weeks, with 20 carries for 32 yards. Although head coach Mike Vrabel trusts Stevenson as a goal-line and short-yardage back, he’s starting to prove that his 2022 season (1,040 yards, 5 TD) was a fluke and the four-year, $36 million contract extension given to him last year was a mistake.

Henderson hasn’t fared much better, running for 148 yards and a touchdown on 41 attempts (3.6 ypc). While he’s been able to contribute on kickoff returns with an average of 22.0 yards per return, taking him off completely because of the Patriots’ lack of depth is something that hurts the team at the midway point of the season.

You could argue that New England needs to find a starter at the deadline; neither Stevenson nor Henderson looks like a starting running back. Fans would prefer to swing big to get Breece Hall in a rare divisional trade with the New York Jets or Alvin Kamara from the New Orleans Saints. But the Patriots would be served just as well by acquiring Devin Singletary from the New York Giants or Jerome Ford from the Cleveland Browns, just to add another body in the room.

Whatever the Patriots do, Springer’s comments indicate they have to at least do something at the trade deadline, and it could lead to a deal as New England approaches