We continue our training camp positional preview series by looking at the running back room.
Running Backs: Rhamondre Stevenson, Antonio Gibson, Kevin Harris, JaMychal Hasty, Deshaun Fenwick, and Terrell Jennings.
This group is leaner than I would like. It's also possible to find a backup on someone else's roster or off the waiver wire, so what am I really saying? Good question, Mike. My genuine concern is that if something happens to Stevenson, the more I think the basis for this Alex Van Pelt offense might hit a real roadblock.
What we've seen this spring, and I've gathered from talking to folks, is that so much of what the Pats will do flows off the run game. Considering they're likely starting a journeyman quarterback in Jacoby Brissett and eventually transitioning to a young, athletically gifted but inexperienced Drake Maye, this unit can ill-afford to be one-dimensional. It's not as if they have someone in the receiver room who tilts coverage, at least not that we know of yet. When you consider Gibson's profile - more receiver than anything else - Stevenson is as critical a piece as any other spot on offense (aside from the QB).
We saw Stevenson carry a sub-par group in 2022-23. He played the full 17 games, snatching the top job from the injury-prone Damien Harris. The final stat line was impressive: 279 touches (210 runs, 69 receptions), nearly 1,500 yards (1,040 on the ground), and six touchdowns. In this new system, Stevenson is capable of more, assuming he can stay healthy. He missed the final five games with an ankle injury and redefined his body this offense. He looks leaner, although the 26-year-old said his weight is about the same (227 lbs), but he's lowered his body fat.
"Just to make sure my body is ready for the whole season," he said two weeks ago when asked about the approach. "You know, it's a long season. I've seen what that could get like, so I tried to prepare myself for it."
It sounds like a man preparing to be the workhorse. Stevenson has gone down the YouTube rabbit hole, watching Nick Chubb's work in Cleveland, Van Pelt's last stop. When you consider Chubb had 302 carries in 2022-23 (he grotesquely injured his leg early last season) and another 27 catches, it's wise of him to not only brush up on what's expected but prepare for the rigors of heavier load. Stevenson's blend of power and speed (which Jerod Mayo hopes will be improved because of the weight shift) can't be found anywhere else on the roster despite Gibson's nearly identical measurables (6'1", 228 lbs).
Gibson is a riddle wrapped in a mystery. He is built to run between the tackles, even if that's not where he's thrived; he is a one-cut back with a strong lower half who will run through arm tackles. His contact balance is noteworthy. However, after his second season - his bell-cow season, the Commanders aggressively turned the page to Alabama's Brian Robinson, reducing Gibson to time-sharing running back in year three and a pass-catching back last season. Gibson's usage around the goalline decreased, which was undoubtedly a combination of poor pad level and fumbles, of which there were many.
What I found interesting about Gibson's 4-year stint in Washington was that he had 258 rushing attempts during his second year in the league, a place the Pats haven't gone with Stevenson yet. He, too, cracked the 1,000-yard barrier in that campaign, though he averaged a full yard less per carry than Stevenson did in his best year (4.0 to 5.0). In addition, he coughed it up a whopping seven times. If anyone is a candidate to walk around with a football tucked neatly between his forearm, crook of the elbow, and bicep this summer, it's Gibson.
T-shirts and shorts don't portend how things will go this fall, but Gibson consistently showed up as a receiver, utilized in various ways/formations that I'm forbidden from revealing (stupid team rules). There is no arguing that pass-catching is his strength and that he can immediately impact an offense that needs more playmakers. Now, suppose Gibson can find his footing as a runner. In that case, my concerns about what happens should Stevenson get hurt will dissipate, and they could continue to make their living as a run-first team. Still, we'll have better answers assuming Mayo runs a competitive camp this July and August.
Hasty helped himself this spring, even if it wasn't a full evaluation period. He showed up repeatedly in the passing game and left a mark with a couple of back-shoulder TD catches on the final session before the summer break. He is built unlike any of their other backs in this stable (5'8", 200ish) and would seem to be a suitable fill-in if Gibson is injured or ineffective. Hasty had 23 catches in 11 games with San Fran in 2021 and another 20 with the Jags the following year, albeit over an entire season. Throw in his ability to contribute on special teams, and there could be a spot for Hasty. There's also the real possibility that the journeyman could be released at the end of camp and still end up on the practice squad, as running backs are a dime a dozen.
As for the rest, Harris is competent but has spent a ton of time on the practice squad. Fenwick was the first undrafted free agent running back the team brought in, but he didn't have any moments this spring, which isn't surprising because he, like Harris, will do his best work in pads. Is that enough to unseat Harris or push for an active roster spot? The hell if I know (at this point). Let's circle back to that in August sometime.
As for Jennings, he was dealing with an injury this spring, but Wolf and the coaching staff saw enough to sign him off a tryout in rookie mini-camp. He had 10 touchdowns for Floria A&M last fall.
