Rhamondre Stevenson Bettors Proceed With Caution After Ezekiel Elliott News

UPDATE (August 14): The New England Patriots on Monday reportedly added running back Ezekiel Elliott to their backfield depth behind starter Rhamondre Stevenson.

Elliott all but confirmed he was joining the Patriots in a follow-up post on social media. The former Dallas Cowboys star reportedly will earn a base salary of $3 million with the one-year deal worth up to $6 million, according to multiple reports.

Stevenson seemed to be happy about the news.

Bettors who bought the dip on Stevenson too early, however, might not feel the same way. The addition of Elliott, after months of rumors tying the Patriots to free-agent running backs, might serve to hinder his future whether it be in regards to rushing totals, touchdown props or anything in between, as NESN.com hinted earlier this month.

Original Story (August 3): The early days of training camp made it fairly clear that the New England Patriots aren’t totally comfortable with their depth at running back.

Rhamondre Stevenson is on the rise, yes, but the unproven nature of those in the room with him is cause for concern.

Pierre Strong Jr. and Kevin Harris are coming off underwhelming rookie seasons and haven’t done much to distinguish themselves from any replacement-level rusher. Ty Montgomery looks good when he’s on the field, but hasn’t been at almost any point for New England. J.J. Taylor spent his first three NFL seasons on practice squads, so he probably isn’t going to become some superstar all of a sudden.

New England’s running back room is volatile, which has prompted the Patriots to look elsewhere for depth.

The Patriots worked out veteran rushers Leonard Fournette, Darrell Henderson Jr., and C.J. Marable, hosted Ezekiel Elliott on a free-agent visit and remain tied to Dalvin Cook — although the rumor mill consistently churns on that front. They’ve done all of that while holding Stevenson back from participating full-time at practice.

Does any of that inspire confidence that Stevenson will enter the 2023 season ready to take on the role of bell-cow?

There is a balancing act happening when it comes to Stevenson’s outlook at DraftKings Sportsbook. Though his total rushing yards number is set at 1000.5 (+110), his rushing touchdown total is set up at 6.5 (-125). He finished with 1,040 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns in 2022.

Stevenson absolutely has the ability to be a game-changer for the Patriots, taking the bulk of touches and racking up big numbers along the way. That just doesn’t seem to be the way New England operates. The 25-year-old split time with Damien Harris last season and still was banged up by the time December rolled around.

There are a lot of factors at play, so let’s use Elliott as an example.

Elliott rushed for just 876 yards last season but scored a whopping 12 times. At this point in his career, the three-time Pro Bowler is a short-yardage back who can contribute as a pass blocker and catch passes out of the backfield on occasion. If you balance that with what Stevenson has done with the Patriots, it would make sense to expect a large chunk of yardage from the Oklahoma product, but less of an opportunity to find the end zone.

In attempting to keep him healthy and at his best, the Patriots probably aren’t going to want to pile all responsibility on Stevenson’s plate. We’re not saying a bet isn’t worth it, it just might be worth waiting out the Patriots’ flirtations with running backs before getting that ticket.