The 2026 offseason has unfortunately been a summer filled with injuries across the league, and the Patriots haven't been able to stay clear of that fate for very long. Several offensive linemen have already left practice and preseason games with injuries, and now we're hearing that running back TreVeyon Henderson is dealing with one of his own.
The second-year playmaker reportedly left practice early on Monday after tweaking his ankle. There hasn't been much said about the seriousness of the injury, but Eliot Wolf just revealed that he won't be at practice on Tuesday, as they are "working through that situation now."
Although it could be a precautionary move and won't keep Henderson off the field once the regular season begins, the running back room is considered thin at the starting level, which is bad news for an offense that needed a major upgrade.
Beyond Rhamondre Stevenson, the rest of the roster is questionable, but it does provide a big opportunity for those vying for a spot on the team to steal the spotlight over the next few days while Henderson is presumably out.
A few have taken turns standing out over the past month, mostly Jam Miller and Lan Larison, and now might be their best chance at proving why they're the right one to be the Patriots' RB3 this season.
TreVeyon Henderson's injury isn't all bad news for the Patriots' offense
Assuming Henderson is going to miss some practice time ahead of their preseason finale against the Browns on Thursday, then the running backs further down the depth chart need to take advantage of the open door that would otherwise not be as accessible to them at this point in the offseason.
That means Larison, who was a frontrunner to win the main backup role last year before suffering a season-ending injury, should do all that he can to pick up where he left off as a rookie and make it his position to lose. He was already a focus of the offense against the Eagles this past weekend, so it's clear that he's made a strong impression already.
The same can be said about Miller, a seventh-round pick this year, who has strung together a few strong practices to put him swiftly on the radar. He should get more reps with Henderson sidelined, so he will have to turn up the heat to ensure he isn't relegated to the practice squad.
Beyond the two youngest on the team, there are a few veterans who can also make waves this week, including JaMycal Hasty and Hassan Haskins.
Hasty has been with the Patriots before, and although he hasn't been the most explosive option, he has shown he can be a reliable backfield and passing-game option. Haskins is newer to the team, so he might have a bigger hill to climb.
But he made a great impression throughout his first week at practice, and if that continues, he will surely be one to watch with Henderson out.
It will be an interesting competition to watch, heating up even more than it has all summer, as the leading roster battle for the entire team. Rumors suggested the Patriots might stick with just Henderson and Stevenson at backfield and sign the rest to the practice squad, but that's clearly not a great idea.
At this point, they could be on the cusp of seeing some of the best practices from the other running backs, and that could be exactly what the offense needs ahead of roster cuts.
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