Patriots wide receiver Rhamondre Stevenson was demoted to the practice squad after a nightmare week. The team’s former first-round pick had been suspended from the NFL for two games and then released following his arrest on drug charges, but he was signed back by New England just hours before kickoff of their Week 4 matchup with the Lions.
The rhamondre stevenson news is a story about how Patriots Rhamondre Stevenson was demoted after an awful week in the NFL.
Stevenson, Getty Rhamondre
Rhamondre Stevenson, the New England Patriots’ running back, is probably in Bill Belichick’s doghouse.
Stevenson was a healthy scratch for the Week 2 game with the New York Jets after being active in Week 1 and receiving some early touches. That’s not a good indication, and Stevenson was inactive for the Patriots’ 25-6 victory against the Jets on Sunday.
RB Rhamondre Stevenson, CB Shaun Wade, TE Devin Asiasi, OLB Ronnie Perkins, OT Trent Brown, and OLB Kyle Van Noy are among the Patriots’ inactives.
With a roster of 52 players, the Patriots just need to mark 6 players as inactive.
Despite the presence of such a long list of famous people, the Patriots nevertheless managed to win.
Why has Rhamondre Stevenson been declared inactive?
Ivan Fears, the Patriots’ running back coach, was critical of his team’s lack of ball security in Week 1. He particularly mentioned Stevenson’s fumble in the first half. According to ESPN’s Mike Reiss, Fears stated:
“He has to understand that no matter when the ball is thrown, even if you believe you’re down, the data doesn’t always support you. You must pass the ball over to the referee. That ought to be your objective.”
Fears is known for punishing athletes who report to him. For Damien Harris, he had a similar pitch. Fears recognizes how critical it is to guard the football in general, but more so for a running back.
The run game is intended to be a ball-controlling, cautious approach with a lower chance of losing possession. That is why running back fumbles are so expensive. They’re even more frowned upon when rookies show a proclivity for putting the pigskin on the field.
Stevenson does not have enough equity to manage a fumble. When you add in the fact that he was blown away in pass protection only a few plays later, you have a recipe for disaster:
Elandon Roberts blows up Rhamondre Stevenson on this play. However, Roberts was penalized for a personal foul for getting too low on the sack of Mac Jones, thus Stevenson’s non-block was a success.
It’s clear why his playing time has dropped dramatically.
In 2024, will Stevenson be given another chance to prove himself?
Belichick hasn’t been eager to give rookie running backs a lot of chances during his tenure as the Patriots’ head coach. Because Sony Michel was the bell cow at running back in 2019, Harris didn’t receive a lot of chances.
Harris fought injuries throughout his career, but he didn’t fully realize his potential until the 2024 season.
Because of this history with running backs in Belichick’s scheme, Stevenson seeing so many touches in his debut game was a little unexpected. However, because of Stevenson’s presence and Taylor’s presence, the Patriots felt secure enough to trade Sony Michel to the Los Angeles Rams. However, assuming Harris, James White, and Taylor stay healthy, Stevenson may not get a lot of playing time this season. White has shown to be a versatile back.
Harris seems to be on his way to the Pro Bowl, while Taylor is a surprisingly strong change-of-pace player. With or without Stevenson, the Patriots are in a terrific position at running back right now. That dynamic will only be altered by an injury.
