The Patriots' most prominent weaknesses were on full display in their brutal loss to the Seahawks in Super Bowl LX, making it beyond clear what priorities Eliot Wolf and Co. needed to set during free agency and the NFL Draft.
By all accounts, they addressed the biggest problems in impressive fashion, adding multiple offensive linemen, plus extra help in the blocking game with a fullback and a new tight end, on top of all the standout rookies who are expected to make an immediate impact this fall.
Because of that, the players who arguably came out of the offseason as the biggest winners of all are the running backs, most notably Rhamondre Stevenson, who is expected to remain the RB1 during the upcoming season.
It's a sentiment that The Athletic's Chad Graff mentioned in a recent article on how the offseason has gone for the roster as a whole, with Stevenson emerging as the biggest winner. And if all goes according to plan, he will have an even more prominent role in 2026.
Rhamondre Stevenson might be the Patriots' biggest winner of the 2026 offseason
Because the offensive line struggled throughout the playoffs, particularly in the Super Bowl, the Patriots needed to make changes to put the offense in the best possible position to succeed after an unexpectedly productive season.
They accomplished that by moving Jared Wilson to his primary role at center, signing Pro Bowl-level left guard Alijah Vera-Tucker, adding much-needed depth across the board, and bringing in fullback Reggie Gilliam.
On top of that, they also added a big-bodied tight end, Julian Hill, who has historically blocked throughout his career, and it's expected that he will be an extra body on the offensive line to ensure that Drake Maye has more time to get a play going and the running backs have an easier time breaking through the line.
That's exactly why Graff views Stevenson as the biggest winner of the offseason, and based on how the coaching staff and his teammates rallied around him last year in the midst of another rough start to the season, they're clearly making the effort to give him the best chance to explode this fall.
"So the team found an upgrade at left guard and a young center who could have a breakout season while adding one of the league’s best fullbacks and signing a blocking tight end, all in the name of developing a more consistent run game.
That should go a long way toward benefiting Stevenson, who still projects as the starter over TreVeyon Henderson.”
Having a stout offensive line to protect the quarterback and create opportunities for the run game will be imperative to the Patriots' success this fall, and they'll need to establish consistent production from guys like Stevenson to give their offense the best chance of being formidable.
From what we've seen, Wolf knew the task at hand and delivered, so there's no reason for the backfield to struggle as much as they did in 2025, and hopefully, Stevenson will lead the way.
He showed he could overcome the deficiencies of the offense while regaining his confidence after an early-season filled with struggles, allowing him to gain steam when it mattered most. If he can build upon that, then we might see some of the best performances from him this year.
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