The Patriots roster is mostly in good health heading into Sunday's tilt vs. the Atlanta Falcons at Gillette Stadium, but New England's running back depth will be tested.
On Friday, the Patriots ruled out lead-back Rhamondre Stevenson due to a toe injury, leaving rookie RB TreVeyon Henderson and recently signed RB Terrell Jennings as the only healthy backs on the active roster. Although playing without Stevenson is a blow, the team's top back is the only Patriot who will carry an injury designation into Week 9. As for Atlanta, QB Michael Penix Jr. returns this week as the Falcons starting quarterback.
Stevenson sat out all three practices this week due to his toe injury, which must've occurred in last week's win over the Browns. Stevenson was on the field late in the fourth quarter, including being on the "hands" team when Cleveland attempted an onside kick with 4:06 left in last week's win. Stevenson leads the Patriots in touches (99), rushing yards (279), rushing touchdowns (3), and snaps at running back (316). He's the Patriots best volume-back and their best pass-blocking back, so replacing the fifth-year pro won't be easy.
As for how the Patriots will distribute the snaps in the backfield without Stevenson, Henderson figures to have a significant role this week. The second-rounder broke out with a season-high 75 rushing yards on 10 attempts vs. the Browns in Week 8, with the Pats coaching staff dialing up more outside runs for the speedy rookie to get into space. Henderson attempted seven rushes outside the tackles on toss plays, gaining 68 yards on those runs, including a season-long 27-yard run and an 18-yard carry.
With the Patriots banged up at running back, the breakout performance came at a good time for Henderson, who will now have a larger role on Sunday. Earlier this week, New England also added RB Terrell Jennings to the 53-man roster, with Jennings serving as RB3 in the last three games. When the Patriots lost veteran RB Antonio Gibson (knee) for the season, Jennings was elevated in three consecutive weeks from the practice squad. Jennings is now out of standard elevations, meaning the first-year pro needed to be signed to the active roster to play in Sunday's game.
In his first two NFL seasons, Jennings had only 20 regular-season carries in six career games. The 24-year-old is averaging an impressive 4.7 yards per rush on his seven carries this season (33 rushing yards), albeit in a small sample size. He runs with good burst and power between the tackles, with his 11-yard and nine-yard runs both coming on FB lead schemes in the final four minutes of wins over the Browns and Titans. In the post-game locker room celebration following the Titans game, head coach Mike Vrabel said he was New England's new "five-minute back" somewhat tongue-in-cheek, but Jennings is that kind of power runner.
New England signed Jennings to the active roster to the open spot created by the trade of DE Keion White to the 49ers, while signing vet RB D'Ernest Johnson to Jennings' spot on the practice squad. Johnson could be elevated from the practice squad for Sunday's game to serve as the third running back behind Henderson and Jennings. Although he just joined the team this week, Johnson is a seven-year pro with some notable past performances, including two career 100-yard games and a 99-yard rushing performance with the Browns vs. the Patriots in 2021.
Along with Johnson, the Patriots have sixth-year pro Jonathan Ward and rookie Rushawn Baker on the practice squad. New England has made several transactions over the last few days to add running back depth, while there are also reports that the Patriots could add a running back before next week's NFL trade deadline (Nov. 4). For now, Henderson and Jennings will shoulder the load, while Johnson is the favorite to be a practice-squad elevation.
The Patriots must also plan for who will return kickoffs vs. the Falcons. Last week, Henderson and Jennings were the Patriots kickoff returners, with Henderson returning both kicks. Given that the running back depth is already depleted, it'll be interesting to see if the Patriots risk Henderson and Jennings returning kickoffs again this week. Instead, WR Efton Chism III could be active to return kickoffs, while Johnson also has 33 career kickoff returns, but none under the new dynamic kickoff format.
Although the running back situation isn't ideal, the rest of New England's roster is in good shape health-wise. NT Khyiris Tonga (knee) got banged up last Sunday and was on the practice participation report this week, but Tonga practiced in full in the last two sessions and is good to go. WR Stefon Diggs (ankle) and C Garrett Bradbury (toe) are also dealing with some bumps and bruises, but they were full participants in the last two practices and won't carry injury designations into Sunday's game.
As for the Falcons, Atlanta is managing injuries to several regulars. Falcons starting QB Michael Penix Jr. (knee), WR Drake London (hip), TE Kyle Pitts (ankle), S Jessie Bates III (knee), and first-round EDGE Jalon Walker (hamstring) were among the numerous Falcons who were limited in practices this week. Penix, London, and Pitts are good to go. However, Bates, Walker, and starting edge rusher Leonard Floyd (hamstring) are questionable, while top nickel corner Billy Bowman Jr. (hamstring) has already been ruled out for Atlanta.
The Patriots have mostly avoided the injury bug to this point in the season, while the Falcons are more banged up. During pre-game on Sunday, it'll be more notable who is inactive on the Atlanta side than New England's inactives. The Falcons will travel on Saturday, so they might downgrade some players to out if they don't make the trip to the Foxborough area for Sunday's game – we'll keep you updated.
The Patriots host the Falcons with kickoff at 1 p.m. ET at Gillette Stadium on Sunday.
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