FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — This isn’t a matchup Rhamondre Stevenson is supposed to win. Not even close.
Aligned to quarterback Drake Maye‘s left and 2 yards in front of him, the New England Patriots running back has both hands on his thighs as he peers into the B-gap between left tackle Will Campbell and left guard Walter Rouse.
New York Jets linebacker Demario Davis is in an attacking stance at the line of scrimmage, the 28-yard line. As the ball is snapped on third-and-6, Davis turns suddenly to plow into the side of Campbell. He is trying to create a clear path for edge rusher Will McDonald IV, who is looping behind him from his wide alignment, to get to Maye.
Except …
The 6-foot, 227-pound Stevenson makes initial contact with Davis with a two-handed shove, slides to his right and then drives his hands into the chest of the 6-4, 245-pound McDonald. This stops McDonald’s path toward Maye. And with plenty of time in the pocket, Maye completes a 39-yard pass downfield to receiver DeMario “Pop” Douglas.
This play from last Sunday’s home win exemplifies what Stevenson means to the Patriots. He is one of the NFL’s best running backs in pass protection, endearing himself to teammates as a quiet presence who is willing to do anything to help his team when he doesn’t have the football in his grasp.
“He’s somebody I feel very strongly about and have since we drafted him [in 2021]. Great human being, high character. Very unselfish,” offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels said of Stevenson. “Need him to carry it 24 times? He’ll carry it 24 times. Need him to block 16 blitzes? He’ll block 16 blitzes. Need him to catch 10 passes? He’ll catch 10 passes. Whatever we ask him is what he’ll embrace with a great attitude and mindset. Very dependable. I think everybody in our offensive unit trusts him completely.”
While the Patriots rank sixth in rushing yards per game (130.7) this season, Stevenson is on the cusp of a franchise milestone entering Thursday’s road game against the Chicago Bears (Amazon Prime, 8:15 p.m. ET). He needs 29 rushes to join Jim Nance (1965-71), Sam Cunningham (1973-79) and Tony Collins (1981-87) as the only players in Patriots history with six straight seasons with 100 or more carries.
Despite that sort of workload and this being Stevenson’s sixth season in New England, he can still fly under the radar. With the Patriots (4-2) in the spotlight against the Bears (4-2), here are three things you might not know about the 28-year-old native of Las Vegas.
Pass protector supreme
Stevenson has the third-most pass block wins (197) among running backs over the past five seasons, according to ESPN Analytics and NFL Next Gen Stats. Only the Rams’ Kyren Williams (230) and Eagles’ Saquon Barkley (227) have more. Maye calls him one of the Patriots’ best players, saying he always does things the right way.
Backup quarterback Tommy DeVito added: “It’s comforting having somebody back there like him. I have had this feeling before with another running back and that was with Saquon [Barkley] — you’re not worried in pass protection. … He’s super smart, knows all the [defensive] looks and takes pride in it. As good as he is as a runner — fourth all-time here now as a Patriot — I think for quarterbacks it shows how much love he has for us.”
When head coach Mike Vrabel was hired in 2025, he said Stevenson’s work stood out to him as a player he wanted to retain because it reflected the team identity he hoped to create.
“I didn’t know Rhamondre [but] the way he played without the football is usually a good indication of caring about the football team,” Vrabel said this week.
Stevenson highlights “90% wanting to do it and 10% knowing how to do it” as his formula for success in pass protection, crediting former coach Bill Belichick, McDaniels and former New England running back James White as primary NFL influences.
“If you can protect on third down, you’re going to play. That’s what they would tell me,” Stevenson said. “When we were doing walk-throughs, they would make sure my eyes were right. Even if a blitz wouldn’t come, they would ask me who I have [to block if it did] to sharpen my skills. It’s never really been how to do it, it’s been about knowing who’s coming, knowing the defense.”
The selfless play helps explain, in part, why he garners respect in the locker room.
“It’s like receivers going in to block. Receivers want to catch the ball and running backs want to run the ball,” DeVito said. “So for him to take that kind of passion — he stays late, watches extra film, makes sure he’s good on all the looks before practice and he’s really in tune with — I think that’s the main thing that goes unnoticed about his game.
“You see him in there and it’s like, ‘I know ‘Mondre has got me.'”
Ultimate teammate
Douglas, a fourth-year receiver, is one of Stevenson’s closest friends on the team. Their bond initially formed, according to Douglas, because they saw a little of themselves in each other — family-oriented and driven.
But whereas Douglas has an exuberant personality reflected in his dancing touchdown celebrations, Stevenson is more reserved. His trademark celebration is to bring his hand toward his mouth before pointing to the sky after scoring.
“He has that hard shell on the outside,” Douglas said. “But he cares a lot, and I don’t think a lot of people know that because he’s a running back. He’s quiet but very funny.”
Douglas shared a story from the team’s Sept. 27 loss against the Jaguars, which was significant for him because it was his first NFL game in his native Jacksonville. He purchased 10 tickets.
“I was like, ‘Man, that’s a lot of tickets. I’m not getting any more,'” said Douglas, a 2023 sixth-round pick in the final year of his rookie contract. “He was like, ‘I got you, Pop.’ It was 3-5 more tickets to help me out. That was real.”
Veteran tight end Hunter Henry‘s connection to Stevenson is tied, in part, to them having the longest tenure with the Patriots among players on the active roster (along with defensive tackle Christian Barmore). Henry is one of the few who can recall Stevenson announcing his presence as a rookie in the 2021 preseason opener with a 91-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter.
“I was like, ‘Oh, wow, who is this guy? He has some juice.'” Henry recalled. “We’ve been together for a while, and the longer you’re in this game, you realize how special the relationships in the locker room are, and that’s a special one I’ve always enjoyed. He’s quiet, but once you get to know him, he comes out of his shell a little bit.”
Stevenson shared that such “brotherhood” is what he appreciates about his Patriots tenure, and how he leans into that for motivational fuel.
“I’m not the loudest person around but everything I want to attain, and the teammate I want to be and legacy I want to leave, I speak it out loud and tell my teammates. Then I want them to hold me accountable,” he said.
“Obviously, all of us can play football in here — we’re in the NFL — but I want to be known as a great teammate that pays it forward. I love what Tommy said, that sigh of relief when I’m in the huddle, making someone’s job easier. That’s the goal.”
Fueled by his dad’s memory
Stevenson credits his late father, Robert, for shaping his approach to football. He said it’s a result of watching his father carry himself and the guidance he passed down.
Robert, 54, died unexpectedly in March 2025, and Stevenson has since honored his memory by wearing a bracelet with his ashes. When Stevenson posts on Instagram, it always includes the same message — “RIP Pops” – with a black heart and the letters “AGTG” (all glory to God). Stevenson stayed in Las Vegas for an extended stretch of the 2025 offseason, mourning with his mother, Juran, along with his six siblings and extended family.
Many teammates wanted to be there for him upon his return.
“He’s just a good dude,” Henry said. “Going through the passing of his dad and seeing how close they were, a lot of us were able to be there for him and work through that with him. He’s a guy that means a lot to this locker room and this team.”
“When he lost his pops, he never gave up,” Douglas said. “That’s a strong guy.”
Stevenson shared that one of the most meaningful lessons Robert taught him was how to handle adversity.
“Early on, even as a kid, there were little things I didn’t have control over — some I did — and I used to take it differently than I do now,” he said. “I used to get down on myself. I don’t want to say depressed, because I was a little kid, but I used to really get in my head about little things. I used to think about it and hold it close to my chest — all the bad things. All the good things, I wouldn’t even appreciate, it goes out the window.
“I think now I take time to appreciate where I am, and just know I’m blessed to be where I am. And not hold on to all the negative things.”
On the field, that approach has helped Stevenson power through to the NFL: Centennial High School in Las Vegas, Cerritos Junior College (Calif.) and then the University of Oklahoma. The Patriots selected him in the fourth round, 120th overall — the seventh running back picked in the 2021 draft.
It has also helped him power through a stretch of fumbles and still retain the trust of coaches and teammates. Since 2022, his 16 fumbles are tied with James Cook III and Aaron Jones Sr. for the most in the NFL among non-quarterbacks.
Again, he has leaned on the wisdom of his father, who would always stress the importance of attacking adversity.
“When I was young, he didn’t always like how I was taking things, such as losing games,” Stevenson said. “He’d tell me, ‘That’s not the way to do it. There’s ways to come back better. If you don’t like the outcome, do something different and change it.'”
Stevenson’s resolve and skill set are among the things veteran running backs coach Tony Dews, now in his second season in New England, point to in referring to him as an “unbelievable back.” Dews said Stevenson has “really good feet, is smooth and moving faster than people think with quickness and agility to make people miss, yet a strong lower body and ability to run with power.”
In addition to his 3,932 rushing yards that rank fourth in franchise history, Stevenson has also excelled as an adept route runner by totaling 201 receptions, as he is one of five Patriots running backs to hit the 200-catch mark.
Add in his highly rated pass protection, and it’s a unique blend that Dews — who has coached the likes of Derrick Henry and Breece Hall, among others — salutes.
“I’ve had an opportunity to work with a lot of really good backs, but his versatility, and his mental awareness in football, is elite,” he said.
