The New England Patriots were without running back TreVeyon Henderson in their 13-10 loss to the Seattle Seahawks in Week 1 due to an ankle injury he sustained during a practice in August.
As New England looks to avoid dropping to 0-2 on the season, it will hope to see the second-year running back suit up to give the running game a much-needed spark. In Week 1, Rhamondre Stevenson recorded 51 rushing yards on 18 attempts and 44 receiving yards on five receptions.
Though Stevenson had a solid game overall, he struggled with making big plays and opening up the passing game. Having someone like Henderson, who is a legitimate home-run threat, could have given the Patriots an extra dynamic in the backfield. And as they prepare to take on the Steelers in Week 2, they will hope to have Henderson back on the field for this exact reason.
The latest injury updates on TreVeyon Henderson ahead of Week 2
Henderson returned to practice for the Patriots in a limited capacity on Monday, and on Wednesday, head coach Mike Vrabel said he thinks the Ohio State alum could do some more work during that day's practice.
“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.
It's still too early to know for sure if Henderson will be back on the field for Sunday's game, but it's starting to look promising. He hadn't practiced at all since sustaining his injury in August, including being completely sidelined the week before the season opener. But not only is he getting some work in, it looks like he could be ramping up.
The Patriots need to play it safe with TreVeyon Henderson's injury
Obviously, New England will want to play it as safe as possible with Henderson. The offense is down big with A.J. Brown sidelined for at least the next four weeks due to a high-ankle sprain, so the team shouldn't risk anything with Henderson, who should take a lot of pressure off of Drake Maye, the receivers, and especially Stevenson in the backfield.
Even though the 23-year-old still has a lot of areas of improvement (namely his pass blocking and vision), it's clear that he possesses a ton of talent and is an important part of the Patriots' offense. In his rookie season, he recorded 911 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns, as well as 221 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown on 35 receptions. And that was with him mostly being Stevenson's backup.
Henderson could be in for a monster year this season, but the team needs him to be as healthy as possible before putting him back on the field.
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