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After James White’s retirement on August 11, the New England Patriots will need some players to step up at the running back position.
White played a unique role for the Patriots during his eight seasons in New England. He ended up catching the ball out of the backfield (381 receptions) a lot more than he actually ran the ball (319 carries).
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Right now, Rhamondre Stevenson appears to be the perfect candidate to take over for White. In his rookie season last year, he had 14 catches for 123 yards, and he was successful on the ground with 133 carries for 606 yards and five touchdowns.
When it comes to the passing game, Stevenson has been putting in the work in the offseason and in training camp. The second-year running back attended throwing sessions with Mac Jones to build some chemistry and improve his skills.
That work has clearly paid off because head coach Bill Belichick praised Stevenson’s development in terms of being an asset in the passing game.
“Mondre’s done a really good job improving his pass-game skills, starting with blitz pickup and protection,” Belichick said August 16 per a team-provided transcript. “Route running — he’s got good hands. Catching the ball’s never really been an issue. It’s setting up defenders, recognizing coverages, when to sit down, when to break, depending on what the rest of the pattern is, how to maximize the distribution on the pattern.”
What Role Does a Running Back Play in the Passing Game?
Belichick went into detail into how important running backs can be in the passing game.
“The back’s always kind of the last person in the pattern for flare control. So, whatever the rest of the players are running, the back is generally responsible for filling in — being in the right spot so the quarterback has an outlet,” Belichick said. “But most of the back’s routes come off protection, so there’s a protection element, there’s blocking the guy, recognition of it, and being in the general — or specific — spot that he needs to be in to complement the rest of the pattern. That comes a lot with experience. There’s so many different variables there. Each play’s a little bit different.
“But he’s done a good job of, again, gaining experience and all that,” Belichick added. “He’s way better than he was last year, and he understands that’s an important part of his game. It’s not just carrying the ball, it’s all things that go with the passing game. So, he’s done a great job.”
Patriots Training Camp Updates: More Fights on Wednesday
The Patriots had their second joint practice with the Carolina Panthers on August 17, and just like a day earlier, the animosity between the two teams was palpable.
Things started kicking off after Kristian Wilkerson went down with an injury, according to ESPN’s Mike Reiss.
“Patriots players seemed to take exception to a Panther standing over him …,” Reiss tweeted. “Tempers/emotions rise. Now another full-team dust-up. No ejections though.”
Jabrill Peppers even threw some punches, according to Mark Daniels of The Providence Journal. Wilkerson ended up being carted off the field.
But things really popped off in the first play of 11-on-11s as Panthers running back Christian McCaffery took exception to a team tackle delivered by the Patriots, according to a tweet by NFL Network’s Mike Giardi.
“A melee on the first rep of #Panthers first team offense vs #Patriots first team defense,” Giardi wrote. “McCaffrey got tackled near the sideline, threw the ball at a defender and then all hell broke loose. Deatrich Wise appears to have been ejected. Bad look for both teams.”