Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson is entering a contract season, and has made it very clear what he would like his role to be as New England puts together a new offense.
“I want to be the featured back for the Patriots,” Stevenson recently told Nicole Yang of The Boston Globe.
That might be doable.
Stevenson hasn’t been afforded that type of role throughout his Patriots tenure, but neither have any of the running backs to come through New England in recent seasons. Stevan Ridley and LeGarrette Blount were early-down guys, but were spelled by Shane Vereen on third downs. James White eventually took that role from Vereen, serving as a passing-down specialist while Sony Michel and Damien Harris did their work on the ground.
Stevenson wants it all, though, and believes all parties would be better off if he was able to find a rhythm on all three downs.
“The guys I split with — Damien, (Ezekiel Elliott) — they would say the same thing,” he said. “The importance of being in the game and getting a hang of the game, just drive after drive — not one drive on, one drive off. You can’t get hot like that. All running backs know that. You can’t really get hot like that.
“I definitely don’t want to be just the only running back. I definitely want Kevin (Harris) to get in. I definitely want things to happen, but I kind of want to take the charge.”
Stevenson has always been productive, serving as one of the rare rookie rushers to actually earn significant playing time under Bill Belichick. He surpassed the 1,000-yard marker in his second season, while also leading the team in catches. If he hadn’t spent the majority of this past season injured, he likely would have done it again.
He’s uniquely qualified to find success as a feature guy, having already showcased an ability to check all the boxes that would come with that role.
“I love playing all three downs,” Stevenson told Yang. “Playing running back on third down is totally different from first and second down. It’s a totally different position. You have to pick up the blitz, run your route, keep the quarterback safe — there’s a lot that goes into it, but when you do it right, it’s like an accomplishment.”
The Patriots’ decision to hire offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt might not be great for Stevenson’s case, as he’s notorious for using a stable of backs.
Nick Chubb played just 38.8% of the Browns’ offensive snaps in 2022, his last full season playing for Van Pelt in Cleveland. That also happens to be the highest percent of snaps he ever played under AVP.
New England doesn’t have a viable backup under contract for next season, however, so depending on how this offseason unfolds, Stevenson could get his wish.
