Rhamondre Stevenson has already done enough to make people take notice, and now he’s getting labeled like a true No. 1.
In PFF’s latest ranking of every team’s starting running back, Dalton Wasserman and Max Chadwick slotted the Patriots back at No. 22 in the league. That puts Stevenson ahead of several recognizable names, including No. 4 pick Jeremiyah Love, Quinshon Judkins, David Montgomery, and Chuba Hubbard.
For New England, the running back picture looks familiar heading into 2026. The Patriots spent the offseason reshaping plenty of the roster, but the backfield stayed largely intact. Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson are still the top two names, and while the third spot behind them changed hands last season - from Antonio Gibson to Terrell Jennings to D’Ernest Johnson - the headliners are the ones carrying the load again.
Henderson is expected to have a bigger early-season impact in 2026 than he did to open 2025, but Stevenson still projects to play a major role. That’s especially true after the way he finished last season and then carried that form into the playoffs.
The Patriots didn’t add a major piece to the running back room, but they did strengthen the line in front of it. Alijah Vera-Tucker’s arrival, Jared Wilson’s move to center, and Will Campbell getting a full offseason to recover from his MCL sprain last season should give the offense a much better foundation than it had in the playoffs.
That matters for Stevenson.
He had to fight through a rough start last season, but things changed after the bye week. His final four games made up 46.3% of his regular-season rushing yards. His yards per game jumped from 32.4 before the bye to 69.8 after it, and six of his nine touchdowns came in those last four regular-season contests.
The postseason didn’t do much to slow the conversation around him, either. Henderson had only 30 carries for 76 yards in the playoffs, a 2.5 YPC average. Stevenson nearly matched that production in one game alone, going for 25 carries and 71 yards against the Broncos in the AFC Championship Game.
Henderson’s age and draft status probably mean he’ll get more carries overall, but Stevenson has clearly earned a real piece of this offense. If he avoids the early-season issues that dragged him down a year ago, the Patriots could have a backfield pairing that works.
In Other News...
Former Patriots WR Stefon Diggs Faces New Allegations Amid NFL Interest
Stefon Diggs remains on the radar of NFL teams even as his off-field legal fight continues to unfold. The former Patriots receiver has denied allegations from Christopher Griffith stemming from a May 2023 trip to Washington, D.C., and Diggs has responded by filing a defamation lawsuit, keeping the dispute active in court while his football future stays very much in play.
Newly filed court documents add another layer to the case, with Diggs seeking records tied to that trip and Griffiths side saying those materials are already in Diggs possession. Still, reports say at least five teams have checked in on the free agent, a reminder that for all the legal noise, clubs are at least doing their due diligence as they weigh whether to move forward. [Read more 🡒]
Patriots Rookie Is Already Forcing His Way Onto The Radar
Namdi Obiazor arrived in New England as a sixth-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, and he has already started to make a case for himself during rookie camp and mandatory minicamp. For a Patriots roster that always seems to have room for players who can do a little of everything, that kind of early momentum matters, especially for someone trying to climb from draft pick to trusted depth piece.
Obiazors appeal goes beyond one position. He brought special teams experience from college and showed enough versatility there to keep himself in the conversation for a backup job and a role on kicking units, which is often the fastest path for late-round rookies to stick. The next step is turning that early buzz into something more concrete once the roster battles get real. [Read more 🡒]
Patriots Fans Can Finally Dream On A Real Tight End Splash
The Patriots have spent enough time searching for a true difference-making tight end that any serious trade idea is bound to get attention, and this one at least has the kind of upside that would make the conversation worth having. The proposed framework around Arizona is built on the same basic logic that tends to drive these kinds of deals: New England would be chasing a player who can change the middle of the field, while the Cardinals would be weighing the value of draft capital, cap flexibility and a chance to reshape parts of their roster.
The appeal is obvious from the Patriots side because the tight end in question has already produced at an elite level, putting up a record-setting season that included 126 catches, 11 touchdowns and 1,239 yards. Still, this remains a hypothetical, not a completed move, and the real question is whether New England would be willing to pay the kind of price that could make Arizona listen, or whether this stays in the category of the splash fans can dream on for now. [Read more 🡒]