The New England Patriots not only lost their 2026 season-opener against the Seattle Seahawks but saw offseason trade acquisition A.J. Brown suffer an ankle injury in their Week 1 loss as well. The star wide receiver went down with a high ankle sprain during the 13-10 defeat and is expected to miss four to six weeks.
Patriots fans received good news Monday on another offensive weapon in running back TreVeyon Henderson, however, as the second-year pro returned to practice for the first time since suffering an ankle injury during practice on Aug. 24. Henderson missed Week 1 vs. the Seahawks but is hoping to make his season debut in New England's Week 2 contest against the Pittsburgh Steelers. 98.5 The Sports Hub's Alex Barth posted on X about the Ohio State product's appearance at practice. The 23-year-old led the Patriots in rushing attempts (180), rushing yards (911) and rushing touchdowns (nine) during his 2025 rookie campaign while pacing the team with 215 touches and 1,132 yards from scrimmage as well.
Henderson played in each of New England's 21 games last season too, including its four playoff tilts. The former second-round pick finished third in the NFL's AP Offensive Rookie of the Year voting but struggled in the postseason, recording just 76 scoreless rushing yards on 30 carries. Starting running back Rhamondre Stevenson carried the load during Henderson's Week 1 absence, posting 18 rushing attempts for 51 yards and five receptions for 44 additional yards through the air.
Henderson had only 28 rushing yards on 11 carries with three catches for 19 yards against the Steelers in Week 3 last year. Pittsburgh is coming off a 20-13 win versus the Atlanta Falcons in Week 1, a contest in which it allowed 120 yards on the ground via 31 rushing attempts. Falcons star running back Bijan Robinson finished the game with 83 rushing yards on 21 rushing attempts and added team highs in receptions (eight) and receiving yards (90) with one touchdown.
If Henderson is active in Week 2, he could be asked to step up as a receiver as well in Brown's absence.
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