The backfield hasn’t been as crowded for New England Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson whenever he lines up behind the quarterback this season.
That’s because there’s one less player sharing that space with the second-year back.
After years of deploying a fullback, and doing so successfully whether it was James Develin, Jakob Johnson or others in the role, the Patriots opted to leave the position vacant on their roster this year. It’s something many teams in the NFL have already done and New England followed the trend in hopes of revamping its offensive attack.
No longer putting a fullback in front of Stevenson hasn’t slowed him down, and the Oklahoma product actually feels more comfortable in the offense without the presence of one.