TreVeyon Henderson has been ruled out for the season opener at Seattle with an ankle injury. That leaves Rhamondre Stevenson as the starter and a very thin room behind him.
| Player | Role | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Rhamondre Stevenson | Starter, expected to carry the load | Healthy |
| Corey Kiner | Only other back on the 53 | Healthy |
| TreVeyon Henderson | Would have split the backfield | Out, ankle |
| Lan Larison | Practice squad, elevation candidate | Practice squad |
| Hassan Haskins | Practice squad, elevation candidate | Practice squad |
| Terrell Jennings | Was the projected No. 3 | Injured reserve |
What Happened to Henderson
Henderson slipped during a practice drill on August 24 and walked off. He has not practiced since, and he was a non participant at each of New England’s final three practices before the opener. The Patriots ruled him out for Wednesday.
It is an unfamiliar situation for him. As a rookie in 2025 he played in every regular season and playoff game, running for 911 yards and nine touchdowns on 180 carries and adding 221 receiving yards and a score. That is 1,132 scrimmage yards and 10 touchdowns on 215 touches.
Stevenson Was Starting Anyway
This changes the workload more than the pecking order. Stevenson was the clear starter regardless, the same way he was in last year’s opener, when he played 46 snaps to Henderson’s 25. He ran for 603 yards and seven touchdowns in 2025 while missing three games, and he came out of camp healthy.
What Henderson’s absence removes is the change of pace. He was the speed in that backfield and the threat to break one, and there is no equivalent replacement on the roster.
The Problem Behind Stevenson
Corey Kiner is the only other running back on the 53 man roster. New England traded for him from Arizona on August 28 to fill the hole created when Terrell Jennings went on injured reserve on August 13. Kiner is 5-foot-9 and 209 pounds with four career games and 30 offensive snaps. Asking him to handle a real workload in a loud Seattle stadium 13 days after he arrived is a lot.
That is why practice squad elevations matter here. Lan Larison, 5-11 and 209, and Hassan Haskins, 6-2 and 228, are the two candidates to be brought up for the game. Teams can elevate practice squad players for individual games without a permanent roster move.
Who Starts?
Rhamondre Stevenson starts. Expect him to see a season high share of the snaps, with Kiner in a complementary role and at least one practice squad back active as insurance. If New England is trailing and throwing, Stevenson’s pass protection and receiving work keep him on the field anyway.
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The Bottom Line
Stevenson is the starter and the workhorse Wednesday night. Kiner is the only other back on the roster, and a practice squad elevation is likely. Henderson’s return timeline has not been set.