On Wednesday, the New England Patriots received some good news. TreVeyon Henderson was a full participant at practice for the first time since Aug. 24. For the past month, Henderson has been nursing a right ankle injury that also kept him out of New England’s Week 1 rematch against the Seahawks.
Adding Henderson and his big-play ability to this Patriots offense would immediately change the dynamic for Week 2. As we saw last season, Henderson is a threat to score every time he gets the football and forces defenses to adjust accordingly.
Henderson’s Offensive Impact
In Week 1, the Patriots offense struggled to get consistent production from the running game. Rhamondre Stevenson (18 carries for 51 yards) and Corey Kiner (6 carries for 11 yards) were not efficient enough. As a result, Seattle’s defense was able to stifle New England’s offense for much of the game.
Henderson has been rehabbing for almost a month and may need some time to get back to 100%, though his return will be a welcome sight. In his rookie season, he led the team in rushing with 911 yards and 5.1 yards per carry. No stat highlights Henderson’s home-run ability better than the fact that four of Henderson’s 10 touchdowns went for 50+ yards.
Adding a dynamic running back into the lineup will keep opposing linebackers honest and open up passing lanes for Drake Maye. This is especially important without A.J. Brown to take the top off the defense.
Whenever Henderson makes his return to the lineup, he will mainly be used in a complementary role. Stevenson will keep his role as the early-down bruiser who is also kept in for pass protection, but does not provide the dynamic, big-play ability of Henderson.
Bottom Line
Moving from out in Week 1 to a limited practice participant earlier in the week, and then to a full participant on Wednesday, points to a good chance that Henderson makes his season debut against the Steelers in Week 2. And if he can flash his explosive play abilities from last season, he will put New England in a great position to not only win in Week 2, but also alleviate some of the impact of A.J. Brown’s absence.
