FOXBORO — Last week against the Las Vegas Raiders, TreVeyon Henderson suffered an ankle injury and would be ruled out before the game was over. Henderson, who dealt with an ankle ailment that held him out of Week 1 as well, was a limited participant in practice all week.
He looked good moving on the practice field, but how did the second-year running back feel?
"Honestly, yeah. I was surprised. I felt a little bit different than what they diagnosed it as and what the MRI showed," Henderson told reporters in the locker room Friday, acknowledging that it was in fact a high-ankle sprain. "I'm hoping that I'm able to be out there with the guys and try to help this team continue in games."
Henderson will be questionable heading into the Patriots' Week 6 matchup with the New York Jets, one of several players who'll likely have that designation slapped onto them. Head coach Mike Vrabel wouldn't go as far as to confirm if Henderson would play, but seeing him out on the field for their final practice of the week is a positive sign.
"There'll be some guys listed as questionable," Vrabel said. "(We'll) see how TreVeyon responds in the morning. Again, see how they come in and then we'll evaluate and go from there."
Henderson, who's run for 163 yards and one touchdown this season, got banged up in the first half of last week's game. He wasn't ruled out immediately and remained on the sideline for a little bit before heading into the Patriots locker room. It wasn't until halftime that he and offensive tackle Will Campbell (who suffered a knee injury on the same drive) were downgraded to out.
"Honestly, once that happened, I couldn't put any pressure on my right side," Henderson said. "And so I tried to get back out there, but it just wasn't where it needed to be."
The Patriots had three practices this week, and reporters saw Henderson moving around for two of them. He participated in all three of the sessions, but now the question will be if he's able to progress into a game situation. For now, all the 23-year-old can do is just see how he responds in the next few days.
"I feel pretty good," Henderson said. "I think I'm getting better. We'll see how things continue to go and the decision that we all end up making."
Who's Behind Henderson On RB Depth Chart?
If Henderson isn't able to go on Sunday, the Patriots have three other options that could step up into that RB2 spot. The likely option is Corey Kiner, who is the third running back on the active roster. He did fumble in last week's game, but has chipped in on special teams.
Vrabel told reporters he feels comfortable in Kiner's abilities, even after the turnover, while mentioning that the fumble wasn't solely on the running back.
"We all have to take care of the ball, but Corey did a lot of really good things, so there's a high confidence (in him)," Vrabel said. "Nobody notices or really talks about the guy that comes back into the gap and hammers the ball out. You guys always fail to mention that. You guys always just put it on the guy who has the ball. So we all share in that, and we'll be better.
"But I like the way Corey runs, and yes, he does have to hang onto the ball. We got to do a better job of protecting the guy, keeping people away from him."
The Patriots also have Lan Larison and Hassan Haskins on the practice squad, and could end up being elevated to the game day roster on Saturday. As it stands right now, considering how serious it sounded earlier in the week, the Patriots should be thrilled with how Henderson is moving and feeling less than 48 hours until kickoff.
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