New England Patriots' offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt has to love what he's hearing from running back Rhamondre Stevenson.
"I want to be the featured back for the Patriots," said Stevenson in an interview with the Boston Globe's Nicole Yang.
Stevenson, who will turn 26 years old on February 23, showed he could handle an every-down role over a 17-game sample in 2022. Wrestling away the majority of running back snaps from Damien Harris, who subsequently left for Buffalo in free agency, Stevenson rushed 210 times for 1,040 yards and five touchdowns while adding 421 yards as a receiver.
The 2023 season, however, somewhat resembled the 2021 campaign, when, as a rookie, Stevenson played second fiddle to Harris. This time, he shared the workload with veteran Ezekiel Elliott.
Stevenson, who missed the last five games due to an injury, carried 156 times for 619 yards (4.0 ypc) and four touchdowns in what was his third pro season since being drafted in the fourth round out of Oklahoma. After signing as a free agent in the summer, Elliott appeared in all 17 games on the way 955 scrimmage yards. He ran for 642 yards on 184 carries (3.5 ypc).
The hard-running Stevenson, who admittedly "love[s] playing all three downs," has been on the field for an average of two out of every three offensive snaps over the past two seasons.
“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," said Stevenson via the Boston Globe.
Stevenson appeared to heat up heading into the stretch run but a bum ankle ended his season prematurely. He gained 85+ yards on the ground and totaled 100+ yards from scrimmage in each of the three games directly prior to his Week 13 injury.
The dynamic ball carrier is willing and able. Now, it's Van Pelt's job to let Stevenson cook in the hopes that a healthy, reinvigorated running game can help elevate what has been a paltry passing offense.
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