FOXBOROUGH – The Patriots offense is full of question marks.
After six days of camp, we don’t know what the starting offensive line will look like. The team’s receiver depth hasn’t been established and it’s unknown what player will step up to be the quarterback’s go-to target this year. At quarterback, the prevailing thought is Jacoby Brissett will start, but coaches are giving Drake Maye every opportunity to win the job.
The only certainty of this 2024 Patriots offense is who the leading rusher will be (health permitting).
Entering his fourth season and off a new contract extension, Rhamondre Stevenson looks the part of a franchise running back. The 26-year-old says he’s in great shape, but also excited for the offense’s future.
A big reason for that revolves around new offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt, who is implanting an outside zone scheme for the Patriots running backs. Stevenson noted that Van Pelt’s scheme is the same one he ran in college at Oklahoma and one he feels will help him this season.
“Yeah, it could benefit any running back. It’s my favorite scheme, to be honest with you,” Stevenson said. “Outside zones, that’s what I like and that’s what we’re running. Everybody else in our room seems to like it as well. We’ll see what we can do.”
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The Patriots plan of attack on offense seems simple – hammer the run and use play action (or bootlegs) to get the defense playing run and then make them pay. Stevenson seems like he’ll be the focal point of the Patriots offense this year – and that makes sense considering he also looks like the most talented offensive player (other than offensive lineman Michael Onwenu) on the roster.
In 2022, Stevenson showed his potential, running for 1,040 yards to go with 69 receptions and 421 receiving yards. Last year, he dealt with a few injuries before being shut down with an ankle injury after 12 games.
This summer, Stevenson looks rejuvenated. He said he came into camp healthy and is also ecstatic about the new scheme change. Over the last four seasons, Van Pelt ran his system in Cleveland where Nick Chubb ran for three-straight 1,000-yard seasons.
“Outside zone, you see everything a lot better,” Stevenson said. “The o-line still has to work very, very hard and you have to be on your tracks, but it’s kind of you hit what you see. You make your cut when you think you’re ready and it’s ultimately up to you.”
