Foxborough, MA â The Patriots are gearing up to host the Steelers in their home opener at Gillette Stadium, and there's both good and bad injury news pre-game on Sunday.
Although explosive second-year RB TreVeyon Henderson and top OLB Dre'Mont Jones (foot) are officially active, starting CB Carlton Davis III (neck) is among the Patriots inactives â Davis will not play on Sunday. The Patriots inactives are CB Carlton Davis III (neck), OT Dametrious Crownover (knee), TE Tanner Arkin, OT Walter Rouse, DT Leonard Taylor, and QB Behren Morton is the emergency third quarterback.
Starting with the good news, Henderson returns to the lineup after missing the Patriots Week 1 loss to the Seahawks due to an ankle injury he suffered on Aug. 24. Henderson led the Patriots in scrimmage yards (1,132) and total touchdowns (10) while averaging 5.1 yards per rush in his rookie season (fifth-best among RBs). He also had four runs over 40 yards, which was tied for the second-most in the NFL. As the 38th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, Henderson finished third in Offensive Rookie of the Year voting in 2025.
Along with bringing big plays to the Patriots backfield, Henderson can also reduce the workload of lead-back Rhamondre Stevenson. Last week, Stevenson played 60-of-71 offensive snaps (84.5%) without Henderson. Third running back Cory Kiner (8) and practice-squad elevation Lan Larison (3) combined to play the other 11 snaps, so it was all on Stevenson to carry the load with 23 touches vs. the Seahawks. The Pats struggled to run the ball in Seattle, ranking last in the NFL in rush EPA in Week 1 (-0.45). Some of that had to do with the Seahawks terrific run defense, which also led the league in rush EPA last season.
Still, you'd like to see the Patriots run the ball more consistently to balance out their offense and take advantage of defenses playing a two-high safety shell, which limits QB Drake Maye's opportunities to push the ball downfield. As we outlined in our game preview, Maye is seeing two-high safety coverages, like cover two, quarters or cover six, at a league-high rate over his last five games. One way to make defenses pay for playing out of a two-high safety structure is to run the ball effectively, which could force them to put a safety down in the box. Then, Maye can attack downfield more once he gets 1-on-1 opportunities.
Drake Maye's Projected Supporting Cast vs. Steelers
OL - LT Campbell, LG Vera-Tucker, C Wilson, RG Onwenu, RT Moses
WR - Romeo Doubs, Mack Hollins, DeMario Douglas, Kyle Williams, Efton Chism III
TE/FB - Hunter Henry, Eli Raridon, Reggie Gilliam, Cameron Latu
RB - Rhamondre Stevenson, TreVeyon Henderson, Cory Kiner
Next, the Patriots also need to weather the storm from losing star WR A.J. Brown (ankle) for the foreseeable future. Brown is now on injured reserve, meaning he'll miss a minimum of four games before he's eligible to return this season. Due to Brown being out, second-year WR Efton Chism III is active for the first time this season. With veteran Mack Hollins expected to play a larger role, Chism could get some base snaps in Hollins's old blocking role while also backing up slot receiver DeMario Douglas.
Chism might also be a better zone-beater than Douglas out of the slot, with defenses playing zone vs. Maye to keep the Pats quarterback from beating them with his deep ball and scrambles. For now, Chism is just the fifth receiver, with most teams rolling with five receivers on game days. However, if the Pats continue to be ineffective against split-safety zone coverages, Chism could eventually get his opportunity.
Moving over to the Patriots defense, starting edge rusher Dre'Mont Jones will play on Sunday despite popping up on the injury report with a foot injury this week. Jones played 42 snaps while logging a team-high six total pressures against the Seahawks in Week 1. It was an impressive Patriots debut for the big free-agent addition, who capitalized on schemed-up rushes and 1-on-1s, proving he's a good fit in the defense. Hopefully, Jones can play his usual role with Elijah Ponder and rookie Gabe Jacas in a three-man rotation. If Jones can't handle his usual workload, rookie Quintayvious Hutchins could play more.
As for the Patriots secondary, New England will play Sunday's game without starting CB Carlton Davis III due to his neck injury. The expectation is that third-year CB Charles Woods will get the first crack at replacing Davis in three-corner packages alongside All-Pro CB Christian Gonzalez and NCB Marcus Jones. Although the Patriots will be without Davis, the Steelers are also down WR Michael Pittman Jr. (foot).
The Patriots are down their No. 2 cornerback while the Steelers are missing their No. 2 wide receiver, which seems to cancel each other out. With the Patriots likely turning to Woods to replace Davis, Pittsburgh could lean more on second-round WR Germie Bernard in three-receiver sets. Bernard was the 47th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft and a draft crush for many in the media because of his smooth route running and burst after the catch. The Steelers also have veteran Ben Skowronek, who could fill in for Pittman Jr.
One question for the Patriots now is how they'll match up against the Steelers heavy personnel groupings. Pittsburgh can put WR DK Metcalf (6-3, 228) and tight ends Pat Freiermuth (6-5, 251) and TE Darnell Washington (6-7, 264) on the field in a two tight end set. Last week, the Pats matched Seattle's heavy personnel groupings with a "big" nickel package that featured S Dell Pettus as a slot/box safety rather than NCB Marcus Jones, and the results were mixed. Seattle produced +0.19 EPA per play with Pettus on the field compared to -0.06 EPA per play when Pettus was off the field in Week 1 (+0.25 difference).
Rather than Pettus, the Patriots could turn to trade acquisition Jaylen Reed as their "big" nickelback this week, with Reed having another practice week to get acclimated to the defense. New England could also stick in its standard three-corner package with Jones in the slot, but the 5-foot-8 corner matching up against Freiermuth or Washington could be a mismatch. One would think the Steelers will find out early whether they can exploit how the Patriots are matching their heavy personnel groupings.
Lastly, newcomer DaQuan Jones will make his Patriots debut after the veteran defensive tackle signed with the Patriots earlier this week. Jones will replace Leonard Taylor III on the Patriots game-day roster, with the expectation that Jones will rotate at nose tackle with DT Cory Durden.
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The Patriots game-day roster is set for Sunday's home opener vs. the Steelers with kickoff at 1 p.m. ET.
DISCLAIMER: The views and thoughts expressed in this article are those of the writer and don't necessarily reflect those of the organization. Read Full Disclaimer
