The New England Patriots will be without one of their top two running backs for a while. According to a report from ESPN, TreVeyon Henderson suffered a high ankle sprain during last Sunday's win over the Las Vegas Raiders and is expected to miss multiple weeks. The injury does not require surgery, and he will not go on injured reserve, but he's going to miss several games.
Henderson missed the first game of the season with an ankle injury, but returned in Week 2. He split time with Rhamondre Stevenson over the last four games, totaling 163 yards and a touchdown on 42 carries while adding two catches for 22 yards.
Henderson totaled 1,132 yards and 10 touchdowns during his rookie season a year ago, but mostly worked behind Stevenson in training camp as the latter reportedly outperformed him. Stevenson was considered the more reliable pass-catcher and blocker, and Henderson continued to trail in snap share during these last few weeks before suffering the injury.
Back in Week 1, without Henderson, Stevenson had an 84.5% snap share during the Patriots' loss to the Seattle Seahawks, with Corey Kiner and Lan Larison working in behind him in limited roles. He took 70.7% of the snaps on Sunday against the Raiders, with the share bumping up following Henderson's departure. (Kiner's fumble may have played a role in that as well.)
The Patriots have games upcoming against the New York Jets, Chicago Bears and Miami Dolphins over the next three weeks. Stevenson should be expected to play a significant lead role during that time, with Kiner working as the No. 2 back and Larison perhaps being elevated from the practice squad for game days.
