The New England Patriots kick off the 2026 season against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field on Wednesday night. It's a rematch of the Super Bowl last season, which saw the Seahawks walk away with a commanding 29-13 victory and win the franchise's second-ever league title. The Patriots will be hoping for a different result this time around, and one player was supposed to help them get there: second-year running back TreVeyon Henderson.
But on Tuesday, just 24 hours before kickoff, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that Henderson has been ruled out for the contest with an ankle injury. He suffered the injury during practice two weeks ago and has been working toward recovery, but apparently hasn't cleared enough hurdles to be ready for Week 1. More news: Puka Nacua Gets Major Suspension Update Ahead of Rams Season Opener Henderson, the Patriots' second-round pick (No. 38 overall) last year, came on late as a rookie but took off once given the opportunity.
He didn't see double-digit carries until Week 3 and didn't take over as the lead back until midway through the year, splitting the workload with veteran Rhamondre Stevenson. Still, he exploded in the second half of the season, finishing with 911 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns on 180 carries, averaging 5.1 yards per carry, along with 221 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown. He led all rookie running backs in rushing touchdowns and ranked second in yards, behind only No. 6 overall pick Ashton Jeanty with 975.
More news: Browns Fans Fuming Over Todd Monken’s Latest Deshaun Watson Announcement More news: Mike Evans Addresses Injury Concerns Ahead of 49ers’ Debut Henderson was projected to take a massive leap this season and cement himself as one of the best backs in the NFL. But it looks like that will have to wait. His next chance to suit up will come next week against the Pittsburgh Steelers in New England.
With a reliable back in Stevenson capable of handling a big workload, though, head coach Mike Vrabel probably won't be in a hurry to rush Henderson back from the injury.
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