Should The Patriots Sign Ezekiel Elliott?
If Ezekiel Elliott wants a job to return to the NFL, his best chance may be with the Patriots. Elliott visited the Patriots over the weekend and hasn’t had contact with any other team thus far this offseason. New England clearly wants more running back depth behind Rhamondre Stevenson, but should the team sign Elliott?
Let me first start by saying that Kevin Harris and Pierre Strong should both make the roster. Both Harris and Strong were members of the 2022 NFL Draft class and giving up on either player would be a mistake. Harris didn’t have a great rookie campaign but was a really good player at South Carolina. Reportedly, he’s also having a really strong training camp. Strong was a higher draft pick and flashed as a rookie rushing for 100 yards on ten carries.
Harris and Strong need to make the roster. The real question is whether you value Zeke over Ty Montgomery. I think the answer to that has to be a resounding yes. Montgomery had two carries and three receptions for New England last year. We’re talking about a player that hasn’t had over 200 all purpose yards since 2018. Nobody is rushing to the waiver wire to go get Montgomery. He’s nothing more than a scatback.
Say whatever you want about Zeke but you have a pretty good idea about what you’re going to get. He can catch and has always been a fantastic pass protector. This is someone that can play on all three downs and never give the play call away. Something Bill Belichick has always valued. Even in a down year, Elliott posted 12 touchdowns a year ago. You can give those short yardage attempts to Zeke and he usually finds a way to get the job done.
I think Elliott in New England makes a ton of sense. He’s the perfect veteran to pair with this group. It’s also possible that Belichick gets more out of Zeke and has him motivated. We know how Jerry Jones coddled him in Dallas. What if there is more in the tank? Even if there isn’t, the skillset makes sense for this team.
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