'He's going to be a large part of what we do' – Mike Vrabel says what needs to be said about Patriots veteran's role amidst 2025 NFL draft decision
FOXBOROUGH, Mass – Rhamondre Stevenson has been missing from much of the voluntary offseason program. On Sunday, ESPN's Mike Reiss reported that Stevenson's father, Robert, passed away in March at age 54. And the running back was also still mourning the loss of his childhood friend, Brandan Harley, who died last season. Because of this, Stevenson has […]
FOXBOROUGH, Mass – Rhamondre Stevenson has been missing from much of the voluntary offseason program.
On Sunday, ESPN's Mike Reiss reported that Stevenson's father, Robert, passed away in March at age 54. And the running back was also still mourning the loss of his childhood friend, Brandan Harley, who died last season.
Because of this, Stevenson has understandably been absent, and head coach Mike Vrabel told reporters prior to OTAs that he has been in communication with the running back.
“We’re extremely excited to have him with us,” Vrabel said. “I’ve been in constant communication with him. Obviously, our thoughts and prayers (are) with him and his family as they heal and they grieve. I want to be a part of that to help them and get to know him. I met him early on and then he went back, and now those conversations have just been over the telephone.”
Stevenson had a rough 2024 campaign, finishing the year with a career-high six fumbles. However, he was playing behind one of the worst offensive lines, which factored into him averaging only 3.9 yards per carry.
But then the team selected running back TreVeyon Henderson in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft, which had some questioning what Stevenson's role would be.
However, Vrabel is setting the record straight and making it clear that Stevenson will still have a major role.
“When you start to evaluate this season and you watch the effort that he played with when he didn’t have the football, he played extremely fast without the football,” Vrabel said. “His ability to step up and protect is taking care of a teammate. It’s protecting the guy with the ball. He did that on numerous occasions. You always saw him downfield when he didn’t have the ball.
"So, he’s going to be a large part of what we do, and we’ll just have to determine where he’s at when he’s back here.”
