Former Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott is expected to sign with the New England Patriots on a one-year deal, a team source confirmed to The Athletic. NFL Network first reported the news. Here’s what you need to know:
- The deal is reportedly worth a maximum of $6 million. Elliott visited New England in late July.
- After seven seasons with the Cowboys, the team released Elliott in March, making him an unrestricted free agent.
- Elliott signed a six-year, $90 million extension with Dallas in September 2019. The 28-year-old back posted 876 yards and 12 rushing touchdowns on 231 carries last season.
One Five, all the way live ! @Patriots
— Ezekiel Elliott (@EzekielElliott) August 14, 2023
The Athletic’s instant analysis:
Zeke makes sense for Patriots
This move makes a ton of sense for the Patriots for two reasons. The first is simple: Their depth behind Rhamondre Stevenson has struggled all training camp. Pierre Strong and Ty Montgomery both suffered injuries. So Elliott helps that in a big way. But just as important, he brings what the Patriots lack at the position.
Even if Elliott is no longer the same back who rushed for more than 1,600 yards as a rookie, he remains a very good short-yardage back. He ranked fifth last season in the percent of his carries that went for zero or negative yards, and seventh among running backs at third down conversions (among back with 100 carries, per TruMedia). — Graff
Stevenson’s status?
The Patriots remain very high on Stevenson. This doesn’t change that. He’ll still be the team’s No. 1 back who gets the majority of the carries (fear not, fantasy managers).
Instead, Elliott was eyed by the Patriots as a complement to Stevenson. Elliott is good in pass protection and short-yardage situations. And after Stevenson wore down amid a large workload at the end of last season, the Pats now have someone they can trust to occasionally spell Stevenson. — Graff
Backstory
Dallas selected Elliott at No. 4 in the 2016 NFL Draft. He exploded to a first-team All-Pro season in his rookie year. He’s led the league in carries and rushing twice (2016, 2018).
But he’s only eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark once in the last three seasons, barely doing so with 1,002 yards in 2021. He has still been a scorer with 22 touchdown rushes over the past two seasons.
Required reading
- Patriots 53-man roster projection: Can (or should) they keep 6 wide receivers?
- NFL RB EPA rankings: Which backs remain valuable as position continues to evolve?
- NFL preseason live updates: Game schedule, scores, practice observations and latest news
(Photo: Michael Owens / Getty Images)
