All the conversation about the Patriots' offense ahead of the 2026 season has centered around either quarterback Drake Maye, who put together an MVP-worthy performance last year, or wide receiver AJ Brown, who is expected to be traded to New England in just over a week.
Both are projected to have impressive seasons together, especially since Brown would be the best receiver Maye has gotten the chance to work with in his young career. But there is a player who has gone mostly under the radar for whatever reason when looking ahead to this fall, despite how upgraded the group is around him to make him a better player.
Rhamondre Stevenson has been the team's RB1 almost since he was drafted in 2021, and he is expected to remain in that role this upcoming season, regardless of how well TreVeyon Henderson performs over the summer.
Despite the struggles Stevenson has dealt with on and off the field over the years, with his fumbling issue becoming the biggest concern of his game, analysts are already predicting that he will have a breakout season in 2026, perhaps reminiscent of 2022 when he recorded over 1,000+ rushing yards and 400+ receiving yards.
That would presumably have more people talking, but they're not.
Rhamondre Stevenson is already projected to have a career year with the Patriots in 2026
Regardless, the predictions re starting to come out, with CLNS' Taylor Kyles being one of the first to mention a breakout year for Stevenson, who expects big things from the running back, even if the stat sheet doesn't reflect his best performance of his entire career.
Big Year loading for Rhamondre Stevenson? 🤔
— Patriots on CLNS (@PatriotsCLNS) May 19, 2026
“Having those guys to run behind, create some more creases for him, is gonna lead to Rhamondre I think truly having a career year…I will say career year more in the context of maybe not career highs, but when you look at the body of… pic.twitter.com/Q8JEaZbQVR
Given that the Patriots have upgraded the offensive line tremendously from the group that took the field in the Super Bowl, on top of the additions they made in free agency, who will ultimately be extra bodies to block, like FB Reggie Gilliam and TE Julian Hill, the backfield is going to be one of the biggest beneficiaries and, presumably, perform accordingly.
Stevenson might see the biggest jump in production because of it, as he will likely remain the go-to running back for Maye to work with.
With better protection by the offensive line, who should create more lanes for Stevenson and Co. to run through, it's easy to see why the veteran is projected to have a big year.
That will benefit the offense as a whole, giving Maye a more reliable group to work with, while Stevenson proves he is still the Patriots' best option in the running back room. He might have had his struggles last year, but he exploded when the games mattered most, and that will, hopefully, continue this year.
It should have more people talking, but maybe going under the radar is what makes Stevenson thrive more.
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