'Underrated': Can Bill O'Brien Improve Patriots RB Rhamondre Stevenson?

New England Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson could see a major improvement under new offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien.

New England Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson had a case for being the team's offensive most valuable player a season ago. The then second-year running back out of Oklahoma broke onto the scene for the Patriots as their top back, rushing for over 1,000 yards, making him the first to reach that benchmark for New England since LeGarrette Blount. 

Yet heading into 2023, our Sports Illustrated counterparts named him the Patriots' most "underrated" player.

SI explains their reasoning by saying that with Bill O'Brien, an experienced offensive coordinator, as opposed to what New England had last season, there is potential for an even bigger year from Stevenson. 

The article points to problems with playcalling that the Patriots' had, like finding what type of run play works best, like zone or gap scheme. Additionally, they note that the Patriots' lack of play action, which they ranked 28th in usage rate last season, made it harder for Stevenson in the backfield as the offense felt more "predictable."

"Rhamondre Stevenson’s loaded box percentage (the number of times he faced eight or more defenders on a run) was not particularly high, but logging 1,040 yards and five touchdowns given all of the counterweights to his potential success were impressive," Sports Illustrated writes. "Stevenson also caught 69 balls, averaging almost seven yards after the catch per reception."

Despite the majority of the spotlight being shown on the improvement of quarterback Mac Jones and the passing game, O'Brien will surely provide improvements in the running game. 

As for what this would look like for Stevenson, O'Brien will likely dictate the type of run plays he calls based on what the former Sooner likes or is good at, so if that is a standard zone run, which is where the offensive linemen will focus on clearing their gaps for the running back, as opposed to gap scheme where linemen are essentially manned up with a defender, O'Brien will cater to it.

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