New England Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson fumbled two times in Week 3’s loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers and was benched midway through the game. While some believe this punishment will continue through the rest of the season, head coach Mike Vrabel’s recent comments suggest Stevenson will keep his role as the team’s starting running back.
In a recent interview, Vrabel said that Rhamondre Stevenson will not be “disciplined” for his fumbling issues and emphasized the importance of keeping his best players on the field. He also referenced quarterback Drake Maye’s two turnovers and noted that they’re keeping him in the lineup as well.
Vrabel: Patriots Won’t Discipline Rhamondre Stevenson For Fumbles
Coaches don’t always mean what they say, and you shouldn’t take everything at face value. Fortunately, The Coachspeak Index tracks the accuracy of coaching comments throughout the league, and Vrabel is somewhat accurate with his past statements. So, only time will tell if Stevenson actually sees a reduced role, but for the time being, it’s safe to assume he’ll still see a decent workload.
#Patriots HC Mike Vrabel on Rhamondre Stevenson:
“He’s gonna be a large part of what we do”
Vrabel has a 40% reliability rating on depth chart coachspeak and a 65% reliability rating on usage/workload coachspeak pic.twitter.com/AD0vUyDgLh
— The Coachspeak Index (@CoachspeakIndex) May 20, 2025
If the Patriots move away from Rhamondre Stevenson, they will likely turn to a combination of veteran Antonio Gibson and rookie TreVeyon Henderson. Gibson received the starting job after Stevenson’s second fumble, but promptly fumbled himself. Henderson held onto the ball but didn’t do much of anything, finishing the night with 28 yards on 11 carries (2.5 yards per attempt).
The Patriots originally selected Rhamondre Stevenson in the fourth round of the 2021 NFL Draft. Originally beginning his career behind Damien Harris, Stevenson earned the starting job in 2022 and finished the season with 1,040 yards and five touchdowns. New England extended him in the 2024 offseason but selected Henderson in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
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