Rhamondre Stevenson envisions the changes coming with the New England Patriots in the post-Bill Belichick era. He wants to make some changes of his own.
With Jerod Mayo the new head coach in New England, Stevenson hopes Mayo listens to what he wants for next season.
"I want to be the featured back for the Patriots," Stevenson said, via the Boston Globe. "I love playing all three downs. 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."
Stevenson wants to be an every-down back, something he really hasn't been able to accomplish in his three seasons with the Patriots. Coming off a 1,000-yard season in 2022, Stevenson's carries reduced from 210 to 156 as he played five fewer games due to injury. He finished with 619 yards and four touchdowns as his 4.0 yards-per-carry average as a full yard down from the 5.0 in 2022.
The attempts per game was up from 12.4 to 13.0, yet a high ankle sprain put Stevenson on the season-ending injured reserve list. Since Stevenson has been with the Patriots, he's split time with Damien Harris, James White and Ezekiel Elliott.
White retired and Harris signed elsewhere as a free agent. Elliott is a free agent, leaving Stevenson as the most experienced running back on the roster. New England still has Kevin Harris, JaMycal Hasty and Ke'Shawn Vaughn on the roster who are under contract.
Heading into a contract year, Stevenson wants the opportunity to prove he can be a featured back.
"I definitely don't want to be just the only running back," Stevenson said. "I definitely want Kevin (Harris) to get in. I definitely want things to happen. But I kind of want to take the charge."
