TreVeyon Henderson says he's 'ready to go' after missing the opener
The second-year running back practiced in full Wednesday and is set to return against Pittsburgh after an ankle injury cost him Week 1.
The bottom line: Henderson is set to return for Sunday’s home opener against the Steelers, ESPN reported from Foxborough. “I’m ready to go. Thank God I’m healed up now,” the running back said Thursday. “I’m excited to be back out here with my teammates.”
The details:
- Henderson was a full participant in Wednesday’s practice and his ankle responded well. He appeared as a full participant on Wednesday’s injury report.
- He hurt the right ankle at practice Aug. 24 and was ruled out well before the opener in Seattle.
- On the month away: “I wanted to be out there pretty bad, it was a good matchup, good game, I think we competed really hard,” he said.
What the offense looked like without him: Rhamondre Stevenson was on the field for 60 of 71 offensive snaps in the 13-10 loss to Seattle. He carried 18 times for 51 yards, an average of 2.8 yards a carry, and caught five of six targets for 44 yards, per Sports Illustrated. Backup Corey Kiner ran six times for 11 yards and was not targeted. See the updated Patriots depth chart for the current order in the backfield.
The backdrop: Henderson was a second-round pick in 2025 and played all 17 regular-season games as a rookie, carrying 180 times for 911 yards and nine touchdowns while adding 35 receptions for 221 yards and a receiving score, for 1,132 yards from scrimmage and 10 total touchdowns. He averaged 5.1 yards a carry, NESN reported. NESN noted that coordinator Josh McDaniels and coach Mike Vrabel leaned on Henderson and Stevenson together last season, and that A.J. Brown is out.
Our take
Henderson says he’s ready. Whether anything actually changes is a different question.
He averaged 5.1 yards a carry as a rookie. Stevenson averaged 2.8 on 18 carries in the opener and still played 60 of 71 snaps. So watch the targets, not the carries. Kiner’s six carries were there for the taking. Stevenson drew six targets in the opener and Kiner drew none. Being active and being used aren’t the same thing.