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Could Rhamondre Stevenson lead the league in rushing in ’23?

By Lou Scataglia

FOXBOROUGH, MA - DECEMBER 01:Rhamondre Stevenson #38 of the New England Patriots carries the ball during a game against the Buffalo Bills at Gillette Stadium on December 01, 2022 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Billie Weiss/Getty Images)
FOXBOROUGH, MA - DECEMBER 01:Rhamondre Stevenson #38 of the New England Patriots carries the ball during a game against the Buffalo Bills at Gillette Stadium on December 01, 2022 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Billie Weiss/Getty Images) /
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Rhamondre Stevenson rushed for 5.0 yards per carry and over 1,000 yards in 2022. Could he lead the league in rushing in 2023?  I certainly think it’s possible for a couple of reasons.  Stevenson took over the RB1 duties in 2022 as Damien Harris nursed injuries.

Well, Harris is a free agent and likely won’t be back.  I don’t think the Patriots have ever been in the business of paying running backs, as I do think Harris can get a nice payday.  Bill Belichick will focus his attention on other positions.

Stevenson is set to enter his third season in the NFL in 2023 and saw an increase in his carries, yards, yards per carry, receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns from year one to year two.

His workload should increase even more in 2023, and I do think he can take a much bigger load and perform well.

We should also look at Bill O’Brien being the offensive coordinator and his history with the run game during his head coaching stint with the Houston Texans.  Well, I think this history is very encouraging for Stevenson.

Pro Football Reference has rushing statistics from O’Brien’s time as a head coach in the NFl from 2014-2020.  From 2014-2020, in each year he was head coach of the Texans, the team ranked the following in rushing yards:

5th, 15th, 8th, 14th, 8th, 9th, 31st.  Outside of 2020, when he was fired after four weeks, he averaged rushing offenses that ranked 9.8th in the NFL.  So, O’Brien largely had top ten rushing attacks during his time in Houston.

Furthermore, depending on what happens with the quarterback situation, I think the offense could rely on the rushing game even more if there is some uncertainty with the position.  If Mac Jones is the starter, I’d assume they’d lean heavily on the rushing attack.

And in an alternate world, where the team trades for Lamar Jackson, I think that could also indicate they’d lean on the run game more as well.

It does appear like the 2023 season will be a breakout year for Rhamondre Stevenson.

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