New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel gave an injury update on running back TreVeyon Henderson. The coach spoke on the Greg Hill Show on Monday morning, and offered a bit of news.
The running back has been out of commission since August 24. He did not practice after that date, after he left with an injury on the turf. He was inactive for the season opener against the Seattle Seahawks. Now, it appears to be a waiting game once again as the Patriots look to get additional production out of the running back room.
Patriots Have Intriguing Timeline For Henderson
In the meantime, Vrabel is not sure exactly what the timeline will be for the running back, as transcribed by the Boston Herald’s Doug Kyed.
Patriots HC Mike Vrabel to @TheGregHillShow on TreVeyon Henderson: “Hopefully we’ll get him out to practice here in the next few days.”
Patriots Need Henderson’s Contributions
Henderson’s absence was felt in the game against the Seahawks. Rhamondre Stevenson carried the load offensively in that department. All told, Stevenson had 18 carries for 51 yards and averaged 2.8 yards per carry. The rushing attack struggled as a whole, totaling 31 carries for 109 yards, averaging 3.5 yards per carry. A 16-yard run was the longest of the evening.
The Patriots were also able to get some production from running back Corey Kiner. He had six carries for 11 yards, averaging only 1.8 yards per carry. A seven-yard run was his longest of the evening.
It was clear that the Patriots were missing Henderson. It was also clear that the team felt comfortable with Stevenson taking the majority of the snaps in the running game.
The Patriots could definitely utilize Henderson’s explosive playmaking ability with A. J. Brown out for the next couple of weeks. Henderson excelled in that category for the Patriots last year. He had six carries of 20-plus yards. He had four carries of 40-plus yards. The Ohio State product’s longest rush was 69 yards.
The running back showed breakaway playmaking ability in other areas as well. He had a 39.6 breakaway play percentage last year, per Alex Cupps. Only Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs recorded more 40-plus-yard rushes over the course of the season. The Patriots are going to need to get big plays in several areas in the absence of Brown, and Henderson’s return could definitely help with that.
It doesn’t sound like this timeline is concrete or definite in any way. It sounds like a wait-and-see type of situation. There’s little doubt that the Patriots could use Henderson’s ability to make big plays, and that running back depth is paramount. Kiner was certainly a strong addition in that regard, and he did what he needed to do on Wednesday night. That being said, Stevenson took he bulk of the carries, and it was easy to see that the Patriots were more comfortable with him than with Kiner.
This will certainly be a development were watching over the next couple of days. Henderson’s return is certainly going to be important as the Patriots look to find some sort of consistency offensively. Where they get that consistency from, and what they do to run a successful system, will be important. This will undoubtedly be interesting to watch.
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