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FOXBORO – The New England Patriots are nearing full strength.
As they took the practice field for the first time to prepare for Week 2, the Patriots saw the return of running back TreVeyon Henderson (ankle) and guard/center Ben Brown (knee). Both of those players got hurt earlier in the summer, and didn’t participate once during their Week 1 prep.
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They both took part in Monday’s non-padded practice, a step in the right direction for the Patriots’ offense that struggled in the season opener against the Seattle Seahawks.
Before the practice, head coach Mike Vrabel alerted reporters that both of them would end up suiting up. Brown was one of the first players to leave the locker room in his gear, the first time we’ve seen him since he got banged up in the Patriots’ preseason game aganst the Indianapolis Colts.
“They’ll probably do some stuff today” Vrabel said.
At practice, Henderson looked good alongside Rhamondre Stevenson. Reporters didn’t get a look at any game situations during the session, but during positional drills, the second-year running back was catching pitches from Drake Maye.
Henderson didn’t get hurt in a game. Instead, he rolled his ankle during the team’s Aug. 24 practice and hadn’t been spotted since. He was in the locker room all last week, but didn’t get any work on the field with his teammates.
Conincidentally, that practice was the last time the Patriots practiced on their lower field. Since then, they’ve worked on their upper fields every day. Vrabel spoke about how the team likes the flexibility that practicing on two fields gives the them, and it didn’t appear that the head coach blamed the surface for Henderson’s injury.
How Will These Two Help Improve Offense?
Healthy or not, Brown likely wasn’t making it into the starting lineup. His role since joining the Patriots as been mainly as a depth player at center and guard. His return would give the team some insurance on the interior alongside veteran Greg Van Roten.
On the other hand, Henderson’s impact on this offense can’t be understated. Without him and his home run threat possibilities, it forced the Patriots to really run Stevenson into the ground against Seattle. The Patriots’ running game had a few solid runs, but nothing was able to really translate into prolonged success.
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Part of that was the lack of Henderson, who’s speed offers the Patriots some change of pace skills instead of Stevenson (18 carries, 51 yards) and third-string Corey Kiner (six carries, 11 yards). Some of the runs didn’t look all that productive, so bringing Henderson into the mix should help improve that.
“We’re not just going to run it for the sake of running it,” Vrabel said. “We’re trying to run it with a purpose and to be able to set some things up. Find a team that is in split safety, split safety to stop the pass, not to stop the run.
“So, you know, we should be able to run the football.”
Additionally, practice squad running back Hassan Haskins wasn’t spotted – potentially signaling that Henderson might be ready to rock and roll all week.
We’ll get the first Week 2 injury report on Wednesday, and that will be the first indicator into whether or not Henderson and Brown will make their season debuts against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
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Today’s best reads
- Patriots Week 1 Injury Report: Backup OL Ruled Out, TreVeyon Henderson Makes Trip
- TreVeyon Henderson ‘Day-to-Day’ Ahead of Patriots’ Season Opener vs. Seahawks
- If TreVeyon Henderson Can’t Go, Meet the Patriots RB Who’ll Need to Step Up
- Patriots Week 1 Inactives vs. Seahawks: What TreVeyon Henderson’s Absence Actually Means
- 5 Players To Watch In Patriots at Seahawks in Season Opener
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/patriots/onsi as Patriots Get Pair of Offensive Reinforcements Back Ahead of Week 2.
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This story was originally published September 14, 2026 at 11:10 AM.