Rhamondre Stevenson is the New England Patriots’ most dangerous player on offense. But he’s also at the center of a troubling trend.

He has a problem with clumsiness.

Stevenson has dropped the ball in each of the Patriots’ first three games this season, including a dropped fumble in Thursday night’s loss to the New York Jets.

It’s a problem for the Patriots, as offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt repeats the old cliché that “ball security equals job security” for a running back.

“Now he’s got a target on his back,” he said Friday. “So teams are going to see that and they’re going to go after the football.”

According to Van Pelt, the team’s plan to address the problem includes drills and an “intense focus” on good habits during competition.

But most of all, the Patriots OC knows the team’s most important player will support him even more.

“I know he’ll take it,” Van Pelt said. “I know he’s proud of it. We’ve been very good at not giving the ball away in that scenario. Again, he’ll be better for it.”

Now in his fourth season, Stevenson has historically been pretty sure with the ball. In his first 41 NFL games, Stevenson has fumbled a total of seven times, including just once in 2023.

After Thursday’s loss to New York, Stevenson was asked about his ball security issues and what problems he was having. The running back made it clear the solution was simple.

“I have to hold on to the ball,” Stevenson said.

But are there any specific adjustments he needs to make to better retain the ball?

“No, I just have to hold it,” he said.

Despite the fumble issues, it doesn’t appear that Stevenson has lost the confidence of the coaching staff. While Antonio Gibson has remained a key part of the running back rotation, there are no signs that Stevenson is heading to the doghouse because of his fumble issues.

The Patriots need Stevenson on the field if they want to turn around their struggling offense. A powerful runner and effective pass-catcher, Stevenson is by far the team’s most productive player on offense. So far, he has 239 yards from scrimmage through two games. Gibson is second only to Gibson with 159.