At around 10 p.m. local time in Germany on Saturday, the New England Patriots announced that they have made some changes to their roster. Running back TreVeyon Henderson was headed to injured reserve due to the illness that has kept him out since late October, while fullback Reggie Gilliam and offensive lineman Greg Van Roten were both activated from IR.
With the Patriots having entered the weekend at 52 players on their roster, Saturday’s transactions meant that they now have a full complement of
players available again. What else do the moves mean, though? Let’s find out.
RB TreVeyon Henderson: Placed on IR
TreVeyon Henderson taking to social media last Friday already was an ominous sign. In a statement addressing the illness that had kept him out for more than a week at that point, he mentioned that “my strength, coordination, and some of my physical functions” were affected by the “unexpected and unusual medical emergency” he had been dealing with.
While there might still have been hope at that point that he would be able to return in a relatively short period of time, Saturday’s move means that that will not be the case.
Henderson will be out for at least the next four games, starting with the upcoming contest against the Detroit Lions. Other games he is now slated to miss include matchups with the Chargers, Bills and Vikings. He is eligible to return to practice and off injured reserve ahead of the Patriots’ Week 15 game in Kansas City, even though an obvious question mark hangs over that comeback given the most recent information we have available — information, head coach Mike Vrabel also did not add to this week.
“I talk to TreVeyon every day and just like everybody else that’s not available, he’s working hard to get back,” he said on Thursday at the FC Bayern Munich training facility. “When that is I don’t know. I don’t have a timetable, but I love my interactions with him. I love talking with him and seeing how he’s doing.”
From a football perspective, Henderson going to IR officially removes the No. 2 running back from the Patriots’ active roster. This leaves the group looking as follows:
53-man roster (3): Rhamondre Stevenson (38), Corey Kiner (9 | KR), Lan Larison (34)
Practice squad (1): Terrell Jennings (26)
IR (2): Myles Montgomery (39 | season-ending), TreVeyon Henderson (32)
Rhamondre Stevenson is the clear top option, something that would not change with Henderson available. He is the Patriots’ most reliable back in all aspects of playing the position, and by far their best pass protector at the position. Still, Henderson as a rotational second option would bring a more dynamic element to the table than the likes of Corey Kiner and Lan Larison. That element is now missing, even though Kiner in particular has had some promising moments as of late and given Stevenson’s unclear outlook — he is questionable with a knee injury — might see increased reps versus Detroit.
In addition to the roster perspective, Henderson going to IR also adds to the numbers crunch regarding the return spots. As a reminder, the Patriots had eight of those available at the start of the year but already used five on the likes of wide receivers A.J. Brown and Mack Hollins, offensive tackle Marcus Bryant and the aforementioned Reggie Gilliam and Greg Van Roten.
Two of the remaining three are expected to go to a pair of starters, wide receiver Romeo Doubs and left guard Alijah Vera-Tucker. This, in turn, would potentially leave one such spot open for Henderson. Of course, if they were to qualify for the postseason, the Patriots would get two extra IR-return opportunities.
FB Reggie Gilliam: Activated to 53-man roster
Gilliam went to injured reserve after the Patriots’ Week 4 win over the Bills. He had been dealing with a knee injury entering that contest, and additionally suffered an ankle ailment in that particular game.
New England did not have a traditional fullback on the 53-man roster or practice squad at that point, and never added one either since initially losing Gilliam. This also meant that the fullback packages that were used earlier in the season were not further expanded upon, which in turn might have also played its part in the Patriots struggling to consistently move the football on the ground.
Gilliam returning will not instantly fix those issues, but he should be an immediate upgrade over the player the team primarily used to replace him, since-released rookie tight end Tanner Arkin. At the very least, the Patriots can begin incorporating those packages on a more regular and purposeful basis again.
In addition to the offensive element, Gilliam’s return also might have a positive impact on the Patriots’ special teams operation. His leadership has been praised repeatedly by coordinator Jeremy Springer, while he also might resume the three-unit role he played prior to his stint on IR: he was used on kickoff coverage, kickoff return and punt coverage, playing 41% of kicking game snaps over the first four weeks of the season.
The kickoff coverage element in particular will be worth watching after the Patriots have had multiple breakdowns over the last few weeks. Adding as experienced a special teamer as Gilliam to the mix might help fix those issues.
OL Greg Van Roten: Activated to 53-man roster
We know that the Patriots offensive line is going to look different compared to the one that started last Sunday’s game against the Packers. The only question is how different.
Obviously, three spots are set in stone as they very much have been for the entire season: Will Campbell and Morgan Moses will be the starting tackles, with Jared Wilson at center. The guard positions, meanwhile, remain a revolving door.
Before looking into the options for Sunday and further into the future, let’s set the scene by looking at which interior O-linemen are, and are not, available right now:
53-man roster (5): Ben Brown (77 | LG), Jared Wilson (55 | C), Matt Pryor (65 | RG), Greg Van Roten (70), Walter Rouse (72)
Practice squad (2): Xavier Newman-Johnson (64), Andrew Rupcich (67)
IR (2): Mike Onwenu (71), Alijah Vera-Tucker (75)
Ben Brown, who started last week at left guard, will not be available on Sunday against the Lions because of the knee injury he suffered in Week 9. This creates an opening Van Roten might be asked to fill, despite the fact that he played just one non-preseason snap at the position over the last seven years; the last time he played left guard extensively, Tom Brady was still the quarterback in New England.
The problem is that the alternatives are not overly attractive either, especially looking at the Lions game. Matt Pryor has limited LG experience as well, while moving him would introduce change at two spots within a unit whose success depends largely on the chemistry between its individual members. Walter Rouse, meanwhile, is questionable to play in the game after showing concussion symptoms coming out of last week’s game versus the Packers.
And so, Van Roten might still be the best option after all. Long-term, however, the goal is to bring Alijah Vera-Tucker back into the mix; who will then start at right guard between Pryor, Van Roten or Brown is a question for another time.
