FOXBORO, Mass. – It’s no secret that Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson has had himself a breakout 2022 season.
The second-year pro has rushed 151 times for 680 yards through 11 games – good for 4.5 yards per carry. He’s also making an impact in the passing game. He leads the Patriots with 50 receptions and is second in receiving yards with 359.
NESN’s Zack Cox pointed out that Stevenson’s 50 receptions are already the eighth-most by a Patriots running back in the Belichick era. He trails only James White (4x), Kevin Faulk (2x), and Shane Vereen.
Though the claim was disputed by Belichick himself, Jason Garrett said on NBC’s broadcast of Patriots vs. Vikings that Bill, “probably talked about Rhamondre for 15 minutes (in the production meeting), and he compared his growth in a short period of time to both Tom Brady and Lawrence Taylor.” Belichick said that he doesn’t “remember it quite that way” and that we’re “talking about players that played completely different positions,” but a conversation was had nonetheless. Here’s the full back-and-forth, thanks to the Boston Herald’s Andrew Callahan:
Q: Staying with Rhamondre, Jason Garrett mentioned on the NBC broadcast in your production meeting you compared, in his words, Rhamondre’s growth and development in such a short span to Tom Brady’s and Lawrence Taylor’s. If that’s true, can you expand upon that?
BB: I’m not sure. You’d have to talk to Jason [Garrett] about that.
Q: Well, that was his claim that what you said.
BB: Yeah, I don’t really remember it quite that way.
Q: Was that inaccurate?
BB: Yeah, I don’t – I mean not the way you phrased that. I don’t remember it quite that way. No.
Q: How do you remember it?
BB: I mean you’re talking about players who play completely different positions.
In theory, this should all be a good thing. New England has found itself an all-purpose back who they can rely on to carry the load. Better yet, on a rookie contract. But are they using him too much?
The Patriots’ plan heading into the season was a platoon backfield between Stevenson and fourth-year running back Damien Harris. Several wrenches have been thrown into this however, as Harris has dealt with a multitude of injuries – typical of a running back in the 2022 NFL.
The load has been given to Stevenson, and he’s succeeded with it thus far. However New England still has six games left to play, and they’ll need their best offensive player to continue on this trajectory if they want to compete for a playoff spot.
It does feel like a catch-22 situation for New England’s running back room, as Stevenson either slowing down or getting banged up eventually feels inevitable. The ideal situation is for Harris to get healthy and be able to spell him, but he was on crutches after Thursday’s game versus Minnesota and was not present at Patriots practice on Sunday.
New England welcomes the Buffalo Bills to Gillette Stadium on Thursday, who sport one of the NFL’s top defenses. This matchup could be a tell-all for Stevenson and the RB room moving forward.
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