TreVeyon Henderson still out, Patriots open at Seattle in 6 days

The Patriots are 6 days from kicking off their season at Seattle, and their No. 38 overall pick from a year ago is still not on the practice field. Mike Reiss reported that TreVeyon Henderson was absent from the media-access portion of Wednesday's practice, continuing a stretch that now stretches back over a week.

Henderson hasn't practiced since Aug. 24, when he suffered the ankle injury that's now kept him out for the better part of training camp's home stretch. With only 3 practices left before New England boards the plane for Seattle, the runway to get him back on the field before Week 1 is shrinking by the day.

New England used a 2025 second-round pick, No. 38 overall, on Henderson out of Ohio State, banking on the 5-foot-10 back's home-run speed and pass-catching chops to give the offense a dynamic complement in the backfield. He and Rhamondre Stevenson were expected to form a dual-threat committee this season, splitting work between Stevenson's between-the-tackles power and Henderson's explosiveness on the perimeter.

Field Yates

@FieldYates

6 days until the Patriots open the season and TreVeyon Henderson remains out of practice. Rhamondre Stevenson could be an expanded role in Week 1 vs. the Seahawks.

Field Yates laid out the practical fallout: with Henderson still sidelined, Stevenson is positioned for an expanded role against the Seahawks. Stevenson has been the workhorse in camp reps by default, and if Henderson can't answer the bell for the opener, that committee backfield becomes a one-man show, at least to start the year.

None of this is being treated as a season-altering setback yet. It's an ankle injury, not a structural one, and there's still time on the clock before Sunday. But every practice Henderson misses is a rep Stevenson banks instead, and coaches don't hand back a lead role just because a guy shows up healthy in Week 2. If Henderson can't go against Seattle, this stops being a camp storyline and starts being how the Patriots' backfield actually looks to open the year.