Rhamondre Stevenson’s Second-Year Yardage Stands In Select New England Patriots Company

During Bill Belichick’s tenure as head coach, 18 different players have reached 1,000 scrimmage yards in a single regular season for the New England Patriots.

Only Corey Dillon in 2004, Wes Welker in 2011 and Randy Moss in 2007 finished campaigns with higher outputs than Rhamondre Stevenson.

The running back by way of Cerritos College and the University of Oklahoma ended his sophomore year in the NFL with 1,461 yards, trailing those Foxborough predecessors by 277, 138 and 32 yards, respectively, according to Stathead.com.

The tally continued at Highmark Stadium. It did as the Buffalo Bills sent the visitors to an 8-9 record and out of AFC playoff contention.

But Stevenson neared last Sunday’s 1 p.m. ET kickoff just shy of another milestone.

“I don’t really think too much about it, but actually one of my linemen came up to me today and told me how far I was away and things like that,” the 24-year-old said during his press conference leading up to the finale. “It would be a great accomplishment, I think, just for me, just the team, the offensive line, just for all of us. Rushing for 1,000 yards in the NFL, I mean, I would call that an accomplishment. So yeah, that would be nice to do.”

It was starting right guard Mike Onwenu that had reminded him. And by halftime, no additional reminders were needed. A counter run up the middle for an agile yet punishing conversion was enough to know what had been eclipsed.

Stevenson’s 1,040 rushing yards stand as the most by a New England running back since LeGarrette Blount rushed for 1,161 yards in 2016. His 69 receptions stand as the fourth-most at the position in franchise history as well as the most on the team in 2022. His 279 total touches also led the way while his six total touchdowns tied wide receiver Jakobi Meyers for the lead.

In a season missing consistency and creativity on the offensive side of the ball, the 6-foot, 230-pound Stevenson’s skillset formed a complete package for seasons to come.

An expanded role in the passing game had been worked toward. A role independent of the down and distance was the result.

“He’s one of the guys that I’ve coached that really has shown just continuous improvement almost every day he walks into the building,” Belichick told reporters at the end of October. “Just in every phase of the game. This kid’s really come a long way in just every part of his game. … I have a ton of respect for the way he’s worked at his game, improved his training habits. He’s still got a ways to go. But he just gets better at all the things he works at every day. He’s got a long list of them. But he’s made significant progress in so many areas. He’s really been impressive.”

The 2021 fourth-round draft choice has base salaries of $940,000 and $1.055 million ahead in the final years of his rookie contract. Per OverTheCap.com, his upcoming cap number of $1.127 million currently ranks 42nd around the NFL among running backs.

New England backfield teammate Damien Harris, a 34-game starter since arriving out of Alabama, is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent in March.