Patriots Leave Ben Brown Behind, Drag TreVeyon Henderson to Seattle for Week 1

The New England Patriots are already playing roster roulette before the first real snap of the 2026 season.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport just dropped the final travel receipts for New England's Week 1 trip to Seattle. Interior lineman Ben Brown is officially out with a knee injury and did not even get on the plane, while running back TreVeyon Henderson made the cross-country flight despite logging a non-participant status in practice.

"Ian Rapoport reported the injury update via Twitter, noting Brown's downgrade and Henderson's travel status."

Flying six hours to the Pacific Northwest just to stand on the sideline in sweatpants is a unique kind of punishment. Henderson is dealing with an ankle issue, and while traveling usually signals a player has a shot to suit up, carrying a "did not participate" tag onto the team plane makes him a massive gamble for anyone looking at the prop market.

Meanwhile, Brown's absence is a quiet but real problem for the offensive line. He originally injured that knee back in the preseason opener against the Indianapolis Colts, and now the Patriots are down their top interior backup before the real games even begin.

Offensive line depth is exactly like car insurance. You do not want to find out you bought the cheap plan when you are already in a wreck. Going into Lumen Field without your primary backup center against a loud Seattle Seahawks crowd is a recipe for a blown protection on a crucial third down.

We will find out exactly how much Henderson's ankle can handle when the final inactives drop before kickoff. Until then, New England is walking into one of the loudest stadiums in the league already down a key depth piece in the trenches.