The new coaching staff of the New England Patriots has shown support for running back Rhamondre Stevenson after his fumbling issues last season.

Fumbles were an issue for New England Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson in 2024. Stevenson put the football on the ground seven times last season, the most for any non-quarterback in the NFL.

Part of what made Stevenson’s fumbles so jarring is ball security wasn’t exactly an issue for him to start his career. Over his first three seasons and 499 carries, Stevenson fumbled a total of seven times with just one in 2023. He then matched that number in 207 carries over 15 games last year.

Still, some wondered if those fumbling problems would cause the new coaching staff of the Patriots to go in another direction at running back. However, over the past week members of the coaching staff – including head coach Mike Vrabel at the NFL Owners Meetings earlier this week – have spoken about helping Stevenson turn things around, rather than finding his replacement.

“I think Rhamondre and [Antonio Gibson] were a good one-two punch. People are going to talk about Rhamondre and putting the ball on the ground and he knows that, but we’ll help them there,” Vrabel said. “We’re also going to help make sure the other 10 players know that their job is to protect the guy with the ball as well. There were some opportunities there for me to teach the other guys that – that second guy in, the guy you don’t see, is the one that’s making the fumble or causing the fumble. So it’s a great opportunity for me to show those other players that their guy is the one coming in there to knock the ball loose.”

On Thursday, new running backs coach Tony Dews talked more about what he sees as the process for helping Stevenson avoid fumbles.

“I think the first thing is that whatever he did in the past is in the past. And then I think that helps from a mental standpoint if we can move on mentally from it,” Dews said. “And then as we start working together, we’ll look at what the issues were from a fundamental standpoint, and then we’ll try to – we’ll work on those fundamental issues and then become consistent with it. Then we’ll move forward and as different things come up or different issues – being able to show them on film where those issues are and then work to correct it from there.”

Dews shared he’s looking forward to working with Stevenson, having followed him since Stevenson was coming out of Oklahoma in 2021. At the time, Dews was the running backs coach under Vrabel with the Tennessee Titans.

“I’m excited,” Dews told reporters. “Going back to evaluating him coming out of college and having a Zoom meeting with him back then and see him at the combine, stuff like that – he was fun to watch. He’s a really good football player, really athletic, has a lot of tools. And then from my limited visiting with him he seems to be a heck of a young man. And then when you talk to people around the building that’s been a part of the organization, he’s very well thought of.”

Getting Stevenson going wouldn’t just be a boost for a Patriots offense that turned the ball over 23 times last year, it’d also help the Patriots avoid a costly contract situation. Prior to last season the Patriots signed Stevenson to a four-year $36 million contract extension. That extension kicks in this year, and would be relatively costly to get out of over the next two years. Of course if Stevenson can get back to the level he was playing at over the first three years of his career, that won’t be an issue.

Even with the coaching staff showing support for Stevenson, it still wouldn’t be surprising if they add a running back in the draft. Vrabel noted as much on Monday. Asked if it’s an area he’d like to see the team address in the draft, Vrabel replied “I think so. Having a good young runner is something that’s – potentially something that we would like to do.”

If the Patriots do draft a back, it would make more sense for it to be a complementary player that adds something the team doesn’t currently have in the room (which currently includes three players – Gibson, Stevenson, and Terrell Jennings). That could be a speed back or a true passing-down back like the players the team used to have regularly under offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels but went away from in recent years.

It is a good year to add a running back in the draft, with this year’s class having significant top end talent and depth compared to recent drafts. We took a closer look at this year’s running back class up and down the board last month – you can find that full breakdown here.