FOXBORO >> One of the few players absent from the Patriots’ first open OTA on Tuesday was veteran running back Rhamondre Stevenson.

ESPN’s Mike Reiss on Sunday reported Stevenson was away from the team for personal reasons following the death of his father, Robert, in March. Stevenson also lost one of his childhood friends last season, per Reiss’ report.

OTAs are voluntary for players, and Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel said he’s doing what he can to support Stevenson during his absence.

“We’re extremely excited to have him with us,” Vrabel said before Tuesday’s practice. “I’ve been in constant communication with him. Obviously, our thoughts and prayers (are) with him and his family as they heal and they grieve. I want to be a part of that to help them and get to know him. I met him early on and then he went back, and now those conversations have just been over the telephone.”

Stevenson averaged a career-low 3.9 yards per carry and set a career high with seven fumbles last season while playing behind one of the NFL’s worst offensive lines. Vrabel expects the 27-year-old to play a major role this season.

“When you start to evaluate this season and you watch the effort that he played with when he didn’t have the football, he played extremely fast without the football,” Vrabel said. “His ability to step up and protect is taking care of a teammate. It’s protecting the guy with the ball. He did that on numerous occasions. You always saw him downfield when he didn’t have the ball. So, he’s going to be a large part of what we do, and we’ll just have to determine where he’s at when he’s back here.”

Returning veteran Antonio Gibson and second-round draft pick TreVeyon Henderson were the top options Tuesday in Stevenson’s absence, with undrafted rookie Lan Larison also seeing some prominent reps. Second-year pro Terrell Jennings and newly signed veteran Trayveon Williams round out New England’s running back depth chart.

Wide receivers Stefon Diggs and Mack Hollins, offensive lineman Sidy Sow and rookie defensive tackle Joshua Farmer also did not participate in Tuesday’s OTA, though Hollins was present in sweats.

Campbell impressing vets

Patriots veteran offensive tackle Morgan Moses was a limited participant in practice Tuesday as he recovers from an offseason knee surgery, but he still proved he can be a valuable asset during OTAs.

Moses, who signed a three-year contract this offseason coming over from the Jets, was situated at right tackle during walkthrough portions of practice, but after the final whistle blew, he spent extra time helping No. 4 overall pick Will Campbell and young offensive tackles Caedan Wallace, Demontrey Jacobs and Marcus Bryant, a seventh-round pick.

“I think the biggest thing, I’ve been blessed to be under a lot of great tackles. I played with Trent Williams for five, six years, and just being able to learn from him and just take it on the field,” Moses said. “It’s vital because being a vet that’s played 12 years, and being able to sprinkle those little things to those guys and see them use them in practice and get better, and just build a toolbox for themselves. It’s good for everybody.”

Campbell’s approach has impressed Moses the most over the last two weeks.

“He’s eager to learn. He asks questions every day,” Moses said. “He’s like, ‘Bro, can we get some sets’ and just talking football. His locker is right beside mine. So we get to talk about football all day. And obviously, he’s a stud, man. He’s played great football in college, and so now he’s just trying to figure it out where, like, every week, you’re going against somebody that has a guy so just fine tune, not trying to change stuff, but just fine tuning the things he’s learned in college and taking him to the NFL and just on the field and getting challenged every day.”

It’s not just Moses who can bring veteran leadership to a group that includes eight offensive linemen who are in their third or fewer seasons.

Moses said that center Garrett Bradbury and guard Wes Schweitzer have been “phenomenal” as veterans. At least to begin OTAs, Bradbury was starting at center over rookie Jared Wilson. Campbell was positioned at left tackle with Cole Strange at left guard and Mike Onwenu at right guard next to Moses.

Schweitzer and Wallace were also heavily involved in the O-line. Vrabel said the depth chart will be “fluid” this time of year.

Joint practices set

Vrabel’s first preseason as Patriots head coach will begin with two rounds of joint practices.

Vrabel confirmed Tuesday that New England will host the Washington Commanders for joint practices ahead of the teams’ preseason opener on Friday, Aug. 8 at Gillette Stadium. The Patriots then will practice against the Minnesota Vikings before their exhibition game at US Bank Stadium on Saturday, Aug. 16.

Those practices will feature three of the first five quarterbacks selected in last year’s NFL draft: Washington’s Jayden Daniels (No. 2 overall), New England’s Drake Maye (No. 3) and Minnesota’s J.J. McCarthy (No. 10).

“I think for sure that the Washington Commanders will come here and then they’ll play us, and we are excited to go to Minnesota,” Vrabel said. “It’s a good setup that they have, allows for great work. Kevin (O’Connell)’s got a — the Vikings have a great football team, and I’ve worked with them before. So I’m excited to go back up there.”

Vrabel and O’Connell previously linked up for joint practices in 2023, ahead of the former’s final season as head coach of the Tennessee Titans. The Patriots have held at least one week of joint practices in every preseason since 2020, most recently hosting the Philadelphia Eagles last summer.

New England will close out its preseason slate at the New York Giants on Thursday, April 21, before welcoming the Las Vegas Raiders to Gillette Stadium in Week 1.

The Vrabel difference

Third-year slot receiver DeMario Douglas, who’s now played for three different head coaches since joining the Patriots in 2023, already sees a difference in the way Vrabel runs things.

“The culture’s different here,” Douglas said. “I love it. Vrabel’s a players’ coach, and he’s on the field with us. We’ve got a head coach that’s on the field with us, man. It’s different. You can tell he’s very in tune to what we’re doing and wants us to be better.”

Vrabel’s predecessor, Jerod Mayo, also was a successful Patriots player, but he lacked Vrabel’s deep well of coaching experience. At several points in Tuesday’s practice, Vrabel pulled players from a variety of position groups aside for brief 1-on-1 coaching sessions. Those included defensive and offensive players.

“We love when the head coach is on the field and he knows both sides,” Douglas said. “He knows what’s going on on offense and what’s going on on defense, and what needs to be done. That’s how I know he’s in tune with us. He’s making sure that we’re all on one accord and we’re all doing what we need to do.”

Extra points

Diggs, the top offseason addition to the Patriots’ receiving corps, still is working his way back from the torn ACL he suffered last October. But the former Buffalo Bills star already is making his mark on New England’s wideout room. “He’s going to bring that dawg,” Douglas said. “He’s probably the one who brings out that attitude in the room. We’ve got a lot of quiet right now in the room, but he’s going to bring that dawg out.” Diggs’ injury snapped his streak of six consecutive seasons with at least 1,000 receiving yards. The Patriots haven’t had a 1,000-yard receiver since Julian Edelman in 2019.