The days of the Patriots having a running back run their backfield like LeGarrette Blount or James White are long gone, and now are the days of Rhamondre Stevenson leading the way.
Neither is remotely close to the bully-ball back that Blount was or the sneaky White, but since he was drafted in 2021, Stevenson has been pretty solid for the offense. He's had his fair share of trouble, mostly with fumbles, yet he's been a dual-threat player quarterbacks have been able to rely on.
Turnovers have always been his biggest problem, and it even got him benched for TreVeyon Henderson this season already, prompting fans and even some analysts to demand that the veteran be benched, or at the very least, moved down the depth chart for the younger option.
The problem is that Henderson hasn't been consistent enough to earn the trust as the full-time starter, no matter how fast he is on the field. It's fair to want Stevenson to improve, and if the fumbles continue, the Patriots should consider giving him less time on the field.
However, a new stat shows just how good he has been for the Patriots this year, despite his turnover issues, and just how not good Henderson has been, proving even more that making a big change to the starting lineup would cause more harm than good at this point in the season and potentially any time this year.
There's no reason for the Patriots to move off of Rhamondre Stevenson as their starting RB
While reviewing advanced stats for the Patriots' season, Chad Graff of The Athletic noticed something significant between Stevenson and Henderson, which likely explains why they haven't given up on him the way many fans have.
Graff explained that the veteran running back has a 43% success rate, ranking 13th among 51 running backs with at least 20 carries in the league, while Henderson ranks 51st.
That's a massive difference and certainly aligns with the eye test and the biggest critique of Henderson since he joined the Patriots' roster last year. He's had explosive plays, but they're few and far between, and his struggles to break through tackles have made him too inconsistent for the offense to rely on as a starter.
That has been a strength for Stevenson over the past few years, and his growth as a receiver has made him even more valuable. He wasn't used that way in college, so once he realized the Patriots used their running backs that way, he trained to become the pass-catcher they needed and has become one of Drake Maye's most reliable options.
That's another major difference between him and Henderson, making it increasingly unlikely they'll make a major change anytime soon.
If Stevenson's fumbling issues return, that's a different story. But right now, their best bet is to keep handing him the ball knowing he can make big plays and break through multiple tackles to move the chains even further.
Henderson will have to improve significantly if he hopes to become the RB1 at some point in his New England tenure, because at this rate, it looks more like they'll draft or sign Stevenson's successor than trust him with that role in the near or distant future.
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