GREEN BAY, Wisc. — New Patriots running back Ezekiel Elliott last practiced over seven months ago. He’s missed three weeks of training camp and just like any player in a similar situation needs to get back in football shape before the season starts Sept. 10.
That’s why the three-time Pro Bowl selection was already thrust into full-team competitive drills Thursday in Green Bay during the Patriots’ joint practices with the Packers.
Elliott received six carries total with Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe against the Packers’ defense. He also caught a screen from Jones as part of roughly a dozen snaps.
Elliott’s involvement was a significant upgrade from his participation Wednesday when the ex-Cowboys running back participated in an early walk-through portion of practice when the Patriots were separated from the Packers on Clarke Hinkle Field. When the teams conjoined Wednesday on Ray Nitschke field, Elliott stayed on the sideline.
Elliott wasn’t exactly a full participant Thursday, but he already saw a significantly upgraded role.
The Patriots are not concerned about their new running back’s ability to learn the playbook in such a short time. He’s viewed as having a high football IQ, so the offense, despite some different terminology, should come naturally to him.
Overall, even though Elliott’s only been around the team for less than three days, the partnership is being viewed “very” positively. The team is pleased by Elliott showing leadership on the practice field Thursday by hyping up teammates and boosting the offensive line.
The 6-feet, 228-pound ball carrier was in a group of teammates celebrating a touchdown catch by rookie wide receiver Kayshon Boutte during a two-minute drill late in practice.
There’s a clear belief among the organization.
“I believe Zeke loves football. I believe that with my whole heart,” outside linebacker Matthew Judon said Thursday after practice. “You can see from Ohio State until now. He’s going to bring energy, he’s going to bring excitement to the game.
“He’s going to buy in. He’s going to buy into to the Krafts, to the system and to what we got going on around here. And just that little bit of excitement for his second day and somebody that he really don’t know in Boutte, it just means he loves his team.”
Elliott, like starting running back Rhamondre Stevenson, is a big back who can carry between the tackles, catch out of the backfield and pick up blitzes. They’re both three-down running backs, and at this time early in Elliott’s tenure with the Patriots, are expected to be used in similar situations.
Stevenson has been the more efficient ball carrier over the past two seasons, so it would still make sense for the third-year pro to be the lead back. But Elliott, 28, is a proven contributor, and the hope is that productivity won’t severely drop off when he is on the field, giving Stevenson some rest.
Elliott’s contract is much like many of the deals the Patriots signed this offseason: heavy on incentives. The base deal is worth $3 million, and Elliott can earn another $3 million based on playing time and yards from scrimmage. The incentives start at 50 percent of offensive snaps and 975 yards from scrimmage and cap off at 70 percent of snaps and 1,475 yards from scrimmage. They’re all categorized as not likely to be earned, so Elliott will only count less than $3 million against the salary cap.
The Patriots needed a back like Elliott for multiple reasons. They lost veteran running back Damien Harris in free agency to the Buffalo Bills and signed James Robinson to seemingly replace him. Robinson was cut in June, and the Patriots were using 2022 draft picks Pierre Strong and Kevin Harris as Stevenson’s backups through the first three weeks of training camp after Montgomery suffered an injury earlier this summer. The team went as far as to manage Stevenson’s workload by having him work on conditioning on a separate field early in camp while the rest of the team practiced.
Ultimately, the Patriots need a player who can keep Stevenson fresh while also serving as depth in case of an injury. They know what they have in Elliott, and though Strong and Harris have been around for more than year, they might not know exactly what to expect out of the second-year pros. Neither Strong nor Harris impressed in the Patriots’ preseason opener, and Strong hasn’t practiced since that game. The Patriots’ banged up offensive line wasn’t exactly creating space in that game against the Houston Texans, however, so not all blame can be placed on the young running backs.
So, enter Elliott, who will never produce the way he did as a rookie in 2016, when he averaged 5.1 yards per carry and over 100 rushing yards per game. But he can pick up tough yardage and still provide some unpredictability based on his varied skillset.