The New England Patriots ramped up work on the Pittsburgh Steelers without Carlton Davis III.
The starting cornerback stayed sidelined for a second consecutive practice due to a neck issue, while rookie offensive tackle Dametrious Crownover also remained absent on Thursday due to a knee issue as the home opener nears.
Here’s the second injury report leading up to Sunday’s 1 p.m. ET kickoff at Gillette Stadium.
DID NOT PARTICIPATE
Patriots
- OT Dametrious Crownover (knee)
- CB Carlton Davis III (neck)
Steelers
- WR Michael Pittman Jr. (foot)
- TE Darnell Washington (not injury related — personal)
- DT Cameron Heyward (not injury related — rest)
Starting across from No. 1 cornerback Christian Gonzalez in the season opener against the Seattle
Seahawks, Davis stayed in for 49 out of 50 defensive snaps. That was the case despite briefly exiting in the first quarter of the Super Bowl LX rematch after making a tackle on running back Jadarian Price for no gain. The veteran has since missed back-to-back practices for a depth chart also includes Charles Woods, captain Marcus Jones and rookies Karon Prunty and Channing Canada on the active roster. The well-traveled Kindle Vildor resides on the practice squad.
LIMITED PARTICIPATION
Patriots
- C Ben Brown (knee)
- LB Dre’Mont Jones (foot)
Steelers
- OT Troy Fautanu (ankle)
- CB Joey Porter Jr. (not injury related — conditioning)
Two Patriots continued to practice in a limited capacity from Wednesday into Thursday. On the offensive line, Brown’s last appearance arrived in the preseason opener. The interior backup, who has started 14 games since heading to Foxborough in 2024, is working back from a knee injury that kept him ruled out last week. And off the edges, Jones also remained a partial participant while managing a foot ailment. The starting outside linebacker recorded New England’s first sack of September and stayed in for 84 percent of the defensive downs.
FULL PARTICIPATION
Patriots
- RB TreVeyon Henderson (ankle)
- LB Robert Spillane (knee)
Steelers
- No players listed
After being ruled out ahead of the 13-10 loss at Lumen Field, Henderson returned for Monday’s bonus practice and has since been a full participant for two sessions. The 2025 PFWA All-Rookie selection at running back had been sidelined by an ankle injury since late August. On the other side of the ball, Spillane graduated to full participation on Thursday after being limited by a knee injury the afternoon prior. The inside linebacker and team captain did not miss a defensive snap during his first start of the campaign.
