Patriots Rhamondre Stevenson Unhappy About Training Camp?

New England Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson was limited during the first padded practice of training camp.

For those in attendance during the New England Patriots' first padded practice, they may have been left wondering what the status is of starting running back Rhamondre Stevenson. The third-year back out of Oklahoma was limited in practice on Wednesday, and when the media asked why, he gave an interesting answer.

“Honestly, you gotta ask Bill Belichick,” Stevenson said. “I don’t know why I’m not practicing. You got to ask Bill, really.

I’m itching to get in there, especially when we have pads on. When we don’t have pads on, I’m not itching as much. But since the pads are on and stuff, yeah, I’m itching to get out there.”

Yeah, right, like Belichick would reveal his cards regarding why Stevenson couldn't participate fully on Wednesday. Although joking aside, judging by Stevenson's comedic but serious answer to the question makes it seem like the Patriots want to hold off on burning any unnecessary tread on Stevenson's proverbial tires. 

After all, amid the controversy where running backs are publicly banding together to force NFL owners into renegotiating the Collective Bargaining Agreement to help fix the position's degraded value, holding Stevenson back seems like a smart thing. 

The Patriots are well aware of what they have in Stevenson, so why not give his first-team reps in the meantime to the younger backs on the roster, like Pierre Strong Jr. and Kevin Harris? 

After emerging as the Patriots' lead back last season as the former Sooner rushed for 1,040 yards and five touchdowns on 210 carries, New England opted not to re-sign Damien Harris. Instead, they brought in James Robinson, who isn't on the roster anymore as he was cut right before the start of mandatory minicamp. 

So, ahead of a season where the Patriots will likely lean on Steveson even more than they did last, limiting him throughout camp is the smart move for both sides. 

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