Is it time for the Patriots to move on from Rhamondre Stevenson? Tom Curran and Phil Perry weigh in on Arbella Early Edition
Editor's Note: With the beginning of NFL free agency looming on March 12, our Patriots Insider Tom E. Curran is resetting each Patriots position by assessing their 2024 performance, laying out their 2025 contract status and ranking their offseason priority on a scale of 1 to 5.
First up was the quarterback position. Next up: running backs.
The Patriots saw an uptick in their rushing numbers in 2024, and that’s directly traceable to Drake Maye.
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After generating just 1,627 yards on 415 carries in ’23, the Patriots as a team bumped up to 1,969 on 446 attempts, with 421 yards coming from Maye (on just 54 carries, a 7.8 YPC average). Maye’s 7.8 yards per carry was tops in the NFL among players with 50 carries or more.
New England was 13th in both rushing yards per game and team YPC (115.8 and 4.4). That’s up from 25th and 26th in 2023.
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Rhamondre Stevenson had 801 yards on 207 carries (3.9 average). He led NFL running backs with seven fumbles. The 14 guys ahead of him were quarterbacks, including Drake Maye, who had nine and lost an NFL-high six (tied with Will Levis). Stevenson was 12th in yards after contact (YAC) among runners with 200 or more attempts (2.1).
Antonio Gibson was 20th in YPC with 4.5. He ran for 538 yards on 120 carries. He also averaged 2.7 yards after contact, which was third in the league among players with more than 100 carries.
Gibson had a modest 23 catches for 206 yards. Stevenson caught 33 passes for 168 yards. On average, Stevenson got the ball 2.1 yards behind the line of scrimmage, fifth-deepest in the league (as a result of running back screens).
The Patriots offensive line was, of course, an unmitigated disaster and the consensus pick for worst OL in the NFL.
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Here is Pro Football Network’s assessment of New England's line from its postseason rankings of all 32 lines:
32) New England Patriots
Regular-Season Grade: 46.6 (F)
The New England Patriots’ offensive line always looked like it could be an issue in 2024. It lacked enough solid veterans or high-upside young players to be a unit that can help elevate a team that is arguably the weakest in the league at WR and RB.
The line was likely a big part of the reason the Patriots chose to go with Jacoby Brissett to open the season. Yet, Drake Maye came in and made light of the line at times with his elusive work within the pocket and getting out into the open field.
New England ranked last in RBWR (run block win rate) and second from last in PBWR (pass block win rate) . They were 31st in pressure rate (39.5%) and 29th in sack rate (9.0%) despite being just 12th in time to throw (2.91 seconds).
The Patriots’ OL struggled regardless of the number of pass rushers being sent their way and wasn’t much better at opening holes in the run game (0.58 RBYBC/rush. That’s running back yards before contact and it was 32nd).
Jamycal Hasty was a changeup back the Patriots barely used -- 20 carries for 69 yards; 10 catches for 59 yards.
Bright spots
I know it’s a running back overview, but the impact of Maye as a ball carrier – by design or on scrambles – is worth squeezing in here. He is SO decisive on his scrambles and has a great first step and acceleration ability. On scrambles, defenses don’t know he’s out until he’s at the linebacker level sometimes.
Increasing Maye's work as a read-option runner could help his backs out a lot, since the threat of Maye keeping the ball means linebackers can’t just get a running start and whale on Stevenson because they know he’s getting it.
Gibson had a nice season. He didn’t get the ball enough – his season-high was 13 carries and he hit double-figures in carries in just five games. His pass-catching skills also weren’t featured (or the weakness of the line made it hard for them to feature them), but he was targeted just 29 times, down from 59 targets in his final season with Washington. He ran with purpose, broke tackles (12 on his 120 attempts), had two fumbles.
Stevenson continues to be a violent and punishing runner. He breaks tackles and runs through contact. On a better team that opened holes, he’d be a handful. Here, he’s too often a wildebeest dealing with hyenas.
The disappointments
Stevenson fumbled too much. Understatement. As the lead back on a bad team, giving the ball up is a mortal sin. His seven fumbles equaled his career fumbles entering the year.
The other disappointment is the root cause problem of all the Patriots' offensive maladies. They can’t block.
Contract statuses
Stevenson signed a four-year, $36 million deal last offseason with $17 million guaranteed. He’s got a cap hit this season of $5.54 million.
He isn’t performing up to that level. OverTheCap.com has a valuation tool that charts how a player is performing relative to his salary. Stevenson’s is kinda bleak, as he spent 10 games under his $9 million APY valuation and just three games above it.
If the Patriots release Stevenson before June 1, they’d take a $12.4 million hit in dead money against the cap. So he’s un-releasable. If they wanted to trade Stevenson to a team that could actually block for him, they’d only take a $1.6 million dead money hit.
Gibson signed a three-year, $11.25 million deal last offseason, so he’ll be around this year. Practice-squad player Terrell Jennings is on the roster as well for low money.
Offseason priority (Scale of 1-5)
4. Stevenson has had back-to-back disappointing seasons. Gibson was good, but he’s averaged 150 carries over his five-year career. Even if the team sticks by Stevenson, they need more from the overall position. Free agent running backs include J.K. Dobbins, Najee Harris, Nick Chubb and Aaron Jones.
Meanwhile, the Patriots could drop jaws by taking Ashton Jeanty at fourth overall. Or they could take Omarion Hampton in the second or third if he’s hanging around. It’s a cool running back class.