From the moHement TreVeyon Henderson stepped foot on Ohio State’s campus, it was clear he was a rising star.
His NFL journey with the New England Patriots didn’t start quite as perfectly, though. Henderson’s rookie season included a few big games and a trip to the Super Bowl, but he could never really claim the Pats’ RB1 job for himself.
Now, at the start of the 2026 NFL season, Henderson finds himself in an even trickier spot. Not only is Rhamondre Stevenson still atop the New England depth chart, but Henderson is also looking at a Week 1 absence.
The Patriots take on the Seattle Seahawks in a Super Bowl rematch on Wednesday night to begin the NFL campaign.
Henderson, though, will be on the sideline.
Why Isn’t TreVeyon Henderson Playing Tonight?
Henderson is missing the Patriots’ Week 1 game due to an injury.
He hurt his ankle in the preseason, and he didn’t have any practice participation before the Wednesday game.
Without Henderson, Stevenson likely gets even more action in the backfield as the Pats try to get a bit of vengeance on the Seahawks.
The good news for Henderson is that the Patriots will then have more than a week off since they play in this first game of the season, so it’ll give him more time to recover and potentially play in Week 2.
At this point early in the season, though, there’s simply less known about a player’s injury, and so it’s hard to predict exactly how long an absence might be.
From Ohio State to New England
Henderson was a star as a freshman for the Buckeyes and never really slowed down.
His final college season presented the most imposing OSU backfield of Henderson’s time there, because they also got Quinshon Judkins in the transfer portal, and they formed a near-unstoppable 1-2 punch.
Those Buckeyes, of course, won the national championship.
Then in the 2025 NFL Draft, Judkins and Henderson both went early in the second round.
Judkins had a bit more consistent role in his rookie season, getting to be a workhorse for the Cleveland Browns.
Henderson hit some home run-type carries, but he didn’t get the frequent action that Judkins got.
It’s still a long way to go before anyone can say for sure which of those two former Buckeyes will have the better NFL career.
But last year, it was Judkins who wasn’t active for Week 1. This time around, it’s Henderson, who will have some work to do to ensure that he can start showing the same star potential that he had at Ohio State.
The Patriots, having been to the Super Bowl a year ago, certainly wouldn’t complain about Henderson showing his Buckeyes level of performance in the pros. He’ll have to get healthy first to have a chance to do that.
Why Ex-Ohio State Star TreVeyon Henderson Isn’t Playing Tonight for Patriots