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Why are TreVeyon Henderson and Ben Brown not playing tonight vs Seahawks? Know reason and probable Patriots replacements
TreVeyon Henderson's absence comes after an impressive rookie season in which he rushed for 911 yards and nine touchdowns on 180 carries.
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The New England Patriots will open their 2026 NFL campaign against the Seattle Seahawks on Wednesday night, but head coach Mike Vrabel's team will head into the Super Bowl rematch without a couple of key depth options.
The Patriots released their final injury report ahead of the season opener at Seattle, confirming that running back TreVeyon Henderson and center Ben Brown have both been ruled out.
Why isn’t TreVeyon Henderson playing tonight?
Patriots running back TreVeyon Henderson will not suit up for New England's Week 1 matchup after suffering an ankle injury during the preseason. He did not participate in any practices leading up to Wednesday's game.
Deep Dive
Henderson has been sidelined since sustaining the injury in late August and has not practiced with the Patriots since Aug. 24.
His absence comes after an impressive rookie season in which he rushed for 911 yards and nine touchdowns on 180 carries, emerging as one of the league's more productive young running backs.
Patriots could turn to passing attack
With TreVeyon Henderson unavailable, New England will have to adjust its offensive approach. His absence could take away some of the explosiveness from the Patriots' running game, placing greater pressure on the passing attack to create big plays.
Fortunately for New England, quarterback Drake Maye will lead the offense. However, the bigger concern is that the Patriots could become too reliant on the passing game while playing in one of the NFL's most challenging road environments.
Patriots RB depth chart
With Henderson unavailable, Rhamondre Stevenson is expected to take over as New England's lead running back.
Corey Kiner could serve as his primary backup, while the Patriots may also consider elevating Lan Larison or Hassan Haskins from the practice squad.
The early Week 1 game could provide Henderson with some additional recovery time, as the Patriots will have more than a week before their next contest, potentially improving his chances of returning in Week 2.
Ben Brown also unavailable
The Patriots will also be without backup center Ben Brown, who has been ruled out because of a knee injury. Like Henderson, Brown was unable to participate in any of New England's three practices before the game.
While Brown is considered the team's top backup at center, New England's starting offensive line is expected to be fully available for the season opener. The Patriots will instead need to identify another option to provide depth behind the starting five.
