The New England Patriots were back on the practice fields on Thursday for a bonus day of work ahead of Week 1.
Running back TreVeyon Henderson remained sidelined after the second-year back suffered an ankle injury early last week. Henderson was again present in the locker room and walking without a limp, but continues to work through the rehabilitation process.
Elsewhere on the roster, recently claimed tight end Cameron Latu was again a non-participant in addition to offensive lineman Ben Brown. Brown,
who was released on Monday before re-signing with the team on Tuesday as part of a logistical move, is nursing an injury he suffered in the preseason opener.
The Patriots donned shells on the practice fields as the focus on Thursday was first and second downs with preparation continuing for opening night against the Seahawks.
“We’ll go at with some speed today,” head coach Mike Vrabel said. “We only get 14 padded practices through 17 weeks. 11 of which have to be in the first 11 weeks. So we’ll be in the shells. We’ll have to start to learn how to practice with shells on without shoulder pads which I think is something that good teams know how to do.
“I think that they can go with speed and it’s not a jog through. There’s speed but there’s no collisions. But there has to be contact. It’s practice. We have to get these reps for first and second down. So, I’m looking forward to seeing where we’re at here going into the first and second down offense.”
New England will have three more practices this week on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday before they leave for Seattle on Monday afternoon. The Super Bowl rematch is then set for Wednesday at 8:20 p.m. ET to kickoff the 2026 NFL season.
