Defensive tackle Christian Barmore fully returned to practice Monday ahead of the New England Patriots season opener against the Seattle Seahawks. But the Patriots also ruled out their first player for the matchup.
New England announced on its team website offensive lineman Ben Brown will not play because of a knee injury. Brown also didn’t travel with the team across the country for the matchup.
That means Brown will miss the Patriots’ meeting with one of his former teams. Brown spent part of the 2023 campaign with the Seahawks.
Barmore is also dealing with a knee injury, but the Patriots announced he was a full participant at Monday’s practice. Running back TreVeyon Henderson didn’t practice at all but could still play in the contest.
The Patriots will face the Seahawks in a Super Bowl rematch Wednesday night. Kickoff will be 8:20 pm ET for the NFL’s season opener.
Patriots Rule out Lineman Ben Brown for Week 1
Brown enters the 2026 campaign as a backup interior lineman for the Patriots. Without him, New England won’t have the same depth it typically does.
The good news is, according to New England’s unofficial depth chart, the team still has Greg Van Roten and Rouse Walter to rely on as backup interior linemen in Week 1.
Brown was a journeyman early in his NFL career. From 2022 to the beginning of the 2024 campaign, Brown experienced stints with the Seahawks, Cincinnati Bengals, Arizona Cardinals and Las Vegas Raiders. During that stretch, he dressed for only one game with the Seahawks.
But in October 2024, Brown joined the Patriots as a waiver wire claim. He then started 10 games for the team that season.
Last year, Brown remained in New England as a depth lineman. He started four games while appearing in all 17 regular season games. He was also on the active roster and dressed for all four playoff games in 2025.
Brown, though, will be among the inactive players for the Patriots to begin the 2026 regular season.
Patriots Facing Seahawks in Super Bowl Rematch
With about 36 hours to go until kickoff, the Patriots have only ruled out Brown. That’s the good news, but Henderson appears to be a possibility to miss the game as well.
In addition to Monday, Henderson sat out Sunday’s practice because of his ankle injury.
The Patriots will square off against the Seahawks in the league’s first season opener Super Bowl rematch in a decade. To open the 2016 season, the Denver Broncos knocked off the Carolina Panthers 21-20.
The Patriots will be trying to become the third team this decade to defeat the defending Super Bowl champions on the road in Week 1. Teams in this situation, though, do not have great records. They are 3-8 dating back to the start of the 2014 campaign.
Patriots Rule out Ex-Seahawks Player for Super Bowl Rematch