Patriots rule out A.J. Brown, TreVeyon Henderson vs. Dolphins - ESPN

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — New England Patriots wide receiver A.J. Brown has been ruled out for Sunday's road game against the Miami Dolphins, the team announced Saturday.

Brown had a knee issue flare up this week, sources told NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

In addition, No. 2 running back TreVeyon Henderson has been ruled out due to an illness, according to the team. Henderson missed practice on Thursday and Friday.

The Patriots have one open spot on their 53-man roster and also could elevate up to two players from the practice squad by Saturday's 4 p.m. ET deadline. Fourth-year receiver Ryan Miller and first-year running back Lan Larison, both on the practice squad, are among the top candidates to be added to the game-day roster.

As for Brown, he was a limited participant in Wednesday's practice, and later that day, his designation on the injury report had changed. It noted the knee issue, in addition to the right high ankle sprain sustained in the season opener that had landed him on injured reserve.

«Just wasn't able to finish practice on Wednesday, so we continue to treat him,» coach Mike Vrabel said Friday.

Prior to that practice, Brown acknowledged he was still managing the ankle injury and didn't have his trademark explosiveness on an every-play basis. But Brown made it clear he wasn't making excuses, adding, «None of that stuff matters. I'm out here, so I'm going.»

The Patriots had Brown going as if he had never been sidelined due to the ankle injury sustained in the season opener. In his first action since being designated to return from IR on Oct. 14, Brown played 102 out of a possible 122 snaps in a win over the New York Jets on Oct. 18 and a loss to the Chicago Bears on Oct. 22.

He admitted the stretch of two games in