Patriots Place Running Back TreVeyon Henderson on Injured Reserve Amid Unexplained Illness

The New England Patriots moved running back TreVeyon Henderson to injured reserve on Saturday, sidelining him for at least the next four games as he deals with a medical situation that has yet to be explained.

The decision came eight days after Henderson disclosed that he had recently gone through what he called "an unexpected and unusual medical emergency involving a series of unexplained neurological symptoms."

Henderson had already been ruled out earlier in the week for Sunday's meeting with the Detroit Lions at FC Bayern Munich Arena in Munich, a game scheduled for a 9:30 a.m. ET kickoff on Fox. The move to injured reserve formalizes a longer absence.

In a social media post on November 6, Henderson said his test results had "come back positive and reassuring," while acknowledging that "the cause of this remains unknown and unexplainable."

The injury leaves New England thin in the backfield. The Patriots arrived in Munich with only two fully healthy running backs, Corey Kiner and Lan Larison, while starter Rhamondre Stevenson has been managing a knee tendon injury suffered in last Sunday's loss to the Green Bay Packers.

Stevenson was limited in both of the team's practices in Munich. Head coach Mike Vrabel said Friday that Stevenson was feeling "pretty good" when asked about his chances of playing, and he offered the same assessment of wide receiver A.J. Brown, who has sat out the past two games with a knee flare-up.

There was a hint Saturday that Stevenson could suit up against the Lions. The deadline to elevate players from the practice squad passed without New England adding a running back, a notable choice given that most teams prefer to carry at least three into a game.

The Patriots also made several other roster moves, activating center and guard Greg Van Roten and fullback Reggie Gilliam from injured reserve, and elevating center and guard Andrew Rupcich from the practice squad for Sunday's contest.