The New England Patriots are looking good ahead of Week 8. New England is 4-3 and still within a few games of Buffalo in the AFC East division standings. The Patriots can get one step closer with a win against the Dolphins on Sunday. That is, if they can get by without two offensive playmakers.
Neither A.J. Brown nor TreVeyon Henderson were spotted at practice on Friday, per ESPN's Mike Reiss. The veteran receiver was not present during the media-access portion of practice.
Brown did not practice on Thursday due to what the team calls knee and ankle injuries. He was a limited participant at practice on Wednesday.
The 2026 season has not been kind to Brown. The veteran wide receiver suffered an injury in Week 1 that caused him to miss the entire month of September. Brown has not looked to be 100% ever since returning and has yet to make a big impact on offense. In fact, Brown only has nine receptions for 101 receiving yards in three games this season.
Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel declared that Brown's status for Week 8 is questionable, per ESPN's Field Yates. That questionable status does not make the situation look any better.
Meanwhile, Henderson did not practice because of an illness.
Henderson seems to have fallen out of favor in New England. The former second-round pick put up 180 carries for 911 rushing yards and nine touchdowns in 2025. However, he's taken a back seat in the offense during his sophomore campaign. Henderson only has 52 carries for 203 rushing yards and a touchdown through six games.
Article Continues BelowIt should be no surprise that Henderson's name is receiving trade buzz ahead of the NFL trade deadline. It remains to be seen if the Patriots would even be interested in moving on from him.
Either way, New England has an easy matchup in Week 8. They should have an easy time getting a win, even if Brown and Henderson don't play.
Patriots at Dolphins kicks off at 4:25 p.m. ET on Nov. 1 from Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens.