The New England Patriots are dealing with plenty of drama with the whole Christian Gonzalez situation.
And with Mike Vrabel expressing major concerns about the team’s depth — or lack thereof — one of his stars getting hurt is the last thing he needs right now.
The clock is ticking, and there’s still no word on TreVeyon Henderson, who’s been held out of practice since late August with an ankle injury and might not be available for Week 1.
As pointed out by ESPN insider Mike Reiss, that might be a huge issue as they take on the Seattle Seahawks for the opener, as they don’t have another reliable option next to Rhamondre Stevenson.
TreVeyon Henderson’s injury puts the Patriots in a tough spot
“The only other running back on the 53-man roster is first-year player Corey Kiner, whom the Patriots acquired in a trade from the Arizona Cardinals on Aug. 28 to fill the void created when Terrell Jennings was placed on injured reserve Aug. 13,” Reiss wrote.
The thin Patriots could still try to find someone to be Stevenson’s backup, but with so little time before the opener, it would certainly be a risky gamble. So too is relying on Kiner.
“Vrabel mentioned the Patriots had attempted to sign Kiner (“a good young runner”) after the 2025 draft when he instead went to the 49ers. Kiner (5-foot-9, 209 pounds) has four games and 30 offensive snaps of NFL experience, so thrusting him into an expanded role in a frenzied Seattle environment just 13 days after he joined the Patriots would be asking a lot,” added Reiss.
Henderson played in every regular-season and playoff game in his first year in the league.
The young star out of Ohio State struggled with consistency and poor vision, but he also showcased his explosiveness with some huge runs as a rookie.
Stevenson is a seasoned veteran, but his ball-security issues could be a major concern against a hard-hitting defense like Seattle’s.
And with Stevenson projected to get an even share of the backfield touches, not having him for a while might throw a huge wrench in this team’s plans for the offense.
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