Five thoughts on the Patriots ahead of their season opener …
1. One position where the depth could be tested right away: running back.
TreVeyon Henderson once again did not practice on Sunday, decreasing the likelihood of him suiting up for Wednesday night’s season opener. Henderson, who is entering his second season, has remained sidelined since exiting practice early on Aug. 24.
Without Henderson, the Patriots will be relying on newly acquired Corey Kiner and/or a practice-squad player (Lan Larison, Hassan Haskins) to round out the running back room behind Rhamondre Stevenson. Even if Henderson is active for Wednesday’s game, it would be surprising to see him shoulder a full workload because of the amount of time he has missed.
Coming out of training camp, Stevenson was on track to serve as the featured back. The effectiveness of the run game can be difficult to gauge during camp, given the lack of tackling, but Stevenson looked productive and consistent as a pass-catcher. Coach Mike Vrabel also praised his ability in pass protection.
Stevenson was set to out-snap Henderson, as he often did when healthy last season. But there’s certainly still a role for him, who can serve as an explosive play threat. Although Vrabel noted Henderson needs to work on his pass protection, which was a weakness last year, he and Stevenson would have formed a strong one-two punch.
Now, the Patriots will have to rely on Kiner, who joined the team just eight days ago, and/or temporarily elevate Larison or Haskins to the game day roster. Perhaps fullback Reggie Gilliam, who logged just two carries and caught two passes last year, could also see some looks out of the backfield.
A team can elevate two practice-squad players to the game day roster each week, so chances are only one of Larison and Haskins is chosen. Larison projects as a versatile pass catcher, while Haskins is more of a traditional power back able to run between the tackles. Both can contribute on special teams. Larison and Kiner are second-year players, so Haskins, a 2022 fourth-round pick, boasts added experience.
“Whatever we need,” Vrabel said. “Some guys have a little bit of different strengths than maybe the other guys. There’s a little bit of everything. We’ll see who we end up using for the game.”
2. As for the position where the Patriots might use their second practice-squad elevation? Punter is the leading candidate. After placing starter Bryce Baringer on injured reserve, forcing him to miss at least four games, they have not signed another punter to their 53-man roster. Mitch Wishnowsky, signed to the practice squad on Aug. 31, would be the next man up. The 34-year-old has considerable NFL experience, starting his career in 2019.
3. It doesn’t appear that Christian Gonzalez took any issue with his trainer’s recent comments on 98.5 The Sports Hub’s “Felger and Mazz.”
Christian White, also known as “Coach Flight,” said during the radio appearance that the language of the Patriots’ initial offer was “kind of trash.” He also said that there’s been “a little bit more movement,” and that he expects Gonzalez to play Week 1 even without a new deal.
“That’s my guy,” Gonzalez said Saturday. “We have two different opinions. I mean, he’s a grown man. If he wants to go talk to the media, he’s going to go talk to the media. He’s my guy. I trust him with everything. He trusts me with everything.
“We talk every day. It wasn’t anything to me that was bad. I mean, he went and talked to them. I talked to him maybe two hours after I came back and saw all that.”
Gonzalez’s potential contract extension continues to loom over the Patriots. He has stayed mum about several aspects of the negotiations, including whether he will actually play Week 1 and whether he would consider requesting a trade.
Not signing Gonzalez to an extension would be rather antithetical to how Vrabel and executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf have said they want to build their team. The two have stressed the importance of drafting, developing, and retaining talent.
4. As the Patriots embraced their “road warriors” identity last season, Vrabel incorporated a variety of motivational tactics into his week-to-week messaging.
Ahead of the season opener in Seattle, it will be interesting to see whether he leans into the fact that the game is a rematch of Super Bowl LX, or whether he treats it as any other Week 1. The latter might be difficult. Some players already admitted there’s going to be some extra motivation because of the opponent.
“Starting off with a bang like that, a chance to get an opponent that left a bad taste in our mouth, I think it’s something for us that’s going to really make us work,” quarterback Drake Maye said in May. “We’ve got to bring it Week 1 on the road in a tough environment.
“They’re going to be hanging their banner, and that’s part of it. So, I think it’s going to be interesting. It’s going to be fun. It’s going to be a tough task.”
5. After some additional transactions following the roster cutdown deadline, the final tally of new faces stands at 23. Headed into Week 1, 43 percent of the 53-man roster was not with the team last year. Moreover, the Patriots lost 14 players that started at least one game for them last year. The fact that the Patriots did not shy away from turnover, after an unexpectedly successful year, reflects the shocking nature of their postseason run.
Nicole Yang can be reached at nicole.yang@globe.com. Follow her on X @nicolecyang.