The New England Patriots are looking at a situation in Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season in which they might need a former Michigan Wolverines standout to bail them out with an Ohio State Buckeyes ex-star dealing with an injury.
That's the latest buzz with the Pats ahead of their first game of the season, which is an unusually scheduled Wednesday night clash this week against the Seattle Seahawks in a Super Bowl rematch.
The Patriots are very likely to be missing TreVeyon Henderson , who is entering his second NFL season out of Ohio State.
"The uncertainty regarding his status for Wednesday's season opener at the Seattle Seahawks (8:20 p.m. ET, NBC) — due to an ankle injury that has kept him out of practice since Aug. 24 — is the type of adversity he hasn't been accustomed to in the NFL," ESPN's Mike Reiss wrote in a new article this weekend. "It also sparks a question: If Henderson doesn't play or is limited in what he can do, how do the Patriots handle the running back repetitions?"
The good news for the Patriots is that Rhamondre Stevenson is healthy, and he probably would've led the RB group in snaps anyway.
But beyond Henderson, the options are a guy from UC-Davis or a back from Michigan.
The Patriots clearly have had success with Wolverines before, including the greatest quarterback of all time.
Now, they'd just be hoping for a bit of contribution from another former Michigan player: Hassan Haskins .
"Haskins is a four-year veteran who broke into the NFL on (Mike) Vrabel's Tennessee Titans squad in (2022)," Reiss wrote in his article, noting that Haskins could be elevated from the practice squad for Wednesday night's game.
Vrabel, of course, is now the Patriots head coach, so he has familiarity with Haskins.
"Haskins would be the pick if NFL experience (44 games) was deemed a priority," Reiss writes, adding that Haskins is also useful on special teams.
"Guys have different strengths. There's a little bit of everything, and we'll see who we end up using for the game," Vrabel told reporters, via Reiss.
Haskins was a fourth-round pick by the Titans in the 2022 NFL Draft.
He had 25 carries for 93 yards as a rookie, then missed 2023.
In 2024, he went to the Chargers to play for former Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh. That year, he had 34 runs for 89 yards and two TDs.
He then played in 12 games last season for the Chargers and had 17 carries for 47 yards.
Haskins has shown comfort catching the ball out of the backfield in the NFL, as well, in his limited action.
The Patriots have Corey Kiner out of Cincinnati already on their active roster, as well as Lam Larrison out of UC-Davis also on the practice squad. It could get interesting behind Stevenson on Wednesday, but Haskins has certainly proven he can be comfortable on an NFL field if called upon.
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