Patriots’ biggest mistake at 2025 NFL trade deadline

The Patriots have stood by Rhamondre Stevenson for years, ever since they selected him in the fourth round of the 2021 NFL Draft. He has looked like a potential franchise cornerstone piece at times, but it has become clear that he is far from that position in 2025.

New England did everything it could to give Stevenson the most opportunities he could handle early in the year. The veteran started the team’s first eight games before missing its last two weeks with a toe injury. He was already losing a grip on the starting job before, and now may have finally been usurped by rookie TreVeyon Henderson.

Stevenson’s ball security issues marred his season early on, with three fumbles in the Patriots’ first five games. His inefficiency has not helped, as the 27-year-old has averaged a feeble 3.4 yards per carry through his first eight games.

Stevenson’s struggles came while Henderson thrived in his limited opportunities as a backup. Once the veteran’s toe injury removed him from the equation, Henderson has taken off, racking up 202 rushing yards in his first two career starts. The Patriots also discovered something in second-year running back Terrell Jennings, who complemented Henderson well in Week 9.

As an experienced, big-bodied running back with respectable pass-catching skills, running back-needy teams could still have valued adding Stevenson in a reserve role. But with his value declining each year, the Patriots had a small window to maximize whatever merit he still had while simultaneously going all-in on Henderson.

Perhaps Wolf tried to shop Stevenson at the deadline, to no avail. He should have made a stronger effort to make sure that Stevenson was not on his roster.

Eliot Wolf missed an opportunity with Jahlani Tavai

As much as they should have shopped Stevenson, the Patriots should have also dealt Jahlani Tavai. The veteran linebacker has fallen entirely out of Mike Vrabel’s defensive rotation, making him an entirely expendable asset in 2025.

Tavai has been virtually invisible in his seventh season, which has been a strange turn in his career. The Hawaii alum revived his career by signing with the Patriots after flaming out with the Detroit Lions and led New England in tackles in 2023 and 2024.

When the Patriots hired Vrabel, he brought several former Tennessee Titans defenders with him, including linebackers Harold Landry III and Jack Gibbens. With K’Lavon Chiasson also coming over in free agency, Tavai was the odd man out.

Since making his debut in Week 5, Tavai has been used almost exclusively on special teams. He has only played over 30 percent of the defensive snaps in one of his first six games of 2025, maxing out at 19 defensive snaps in any singular contest.

At 29, Tavai could feasibly be at the tail-end of his career. But coming off back-to-back 100-tackle seasons, he seems far from done. Many teams dealing with defensive injuries and run-stopping woes would have been interested in adding Tavai, particularly at a discount.

Even with injuries to Christian Elliss and playing in Vrabel’s 4-3 defense, Tavai has hardly been able to get on the field. A mutual part would be beneficial for both parties and should have gotten done at the 2025 NFL trade deadline.