The Patriots are heading into Week 2 with a real question mark in the backfield, and TreVeyon Henderson’s ankle is right at the center of it.
Henderson sat out New England’s 13-10 loss to the Seattle Seahawks in Week 1 after hurting his ankle in a practice in August. Without him, the Patriots leaned heavily on Rhamondre Stevenson, who put up 51 rushing yards on 18 carries and added 44 receiving yards on five catches.
Solid numbers, sure, but not the kind of burst that flips a game. That’s where Henderson matters.
He gives New England a different gear - the kind of home-run threat that can change how defenses play the entire offense.
There was at least a little encouraging movement this week. Henderson returned to practice Monday in a limited role, and on Wednesday, head coach Mike Vrabel said he expected the second-year back to do more that day.
“I think he’ll be able to do some more…hopefully, that continues to trend in the right direction," Vrabel said about Henderson on Wednesday.
That doesn’t lock him in for Sunday against the Steelers, but it does make his status look a lot better than it did a week ago. Henderson had not practiced at all since the injury in August, and he was completely out the week leading up to the season opener. Now he’s back on the field in some capacity, which is a meaningful step.
Still, the Patriots have to be careful here. The offense is already missing A.J.
Brown for at least the next four weeks because of a high-ankle sprain, so there’s no reason to force Henderson back before he’s ready. New England needs him to help ease the load on Drake Maye, the receivers, and Stevenson, but it also needs to make sure this ankle doesn’t become a bigger issue.
Henderson’s talent isn’t the question. The 23-year-old still has room to grow, especially in pass blocking and vision, but the upside is obvious. As a rookie, he finished with 911 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns, plus 221 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown on 35 catches, all while mostly backing up Stevenson.
The Patriots would love to have that kind of weapon available again. For now, though, the priority is simple: get Henderson healthy enough to actually stay that way.
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