To no one’s surprise, Bill Belichick was reserved Wednesday morning on the subject of ex-Dallas Cowboy Ezekiel Elliott.
“Good to have Zeke. We had a good visit with him and I look forward to working with him,” Belichick said minutes after Elliott’s signing was announced by the team on the first day of joint practices in Green Bay. “I’ve never coached Zeke before, but (I’m) glad we have him. I spent time with him last night on the trip (discussing) terminology and plays and protections, things like that. We’ll work him in there when he’s ready and see how that goes.”
Rhamondre Stevenson is confident how it will turn out. And, unlike his head coach, willing to share how strongly he feels..
“Tremendously,” he said a couple of hours later, following Elliott’s first practice with the team. “Tremendously.”
Quarterback Mac Jones concurred.
“Seems like a great fit,” he said of Elliott. “Really just want to take him under our wing. He’s a guy who’s played a lot of football in the NFL, so I’m just trying to learn from him too.”
Jones, noting that Elliott “just got here” and joking that “he’s like in his pajamas,” thinks his new teammate will need less help grasping their offense than getting outfitted in team apparel.
“Really just trying to get him some Patriots gear and make sure he’s good to go,” Jones said. “He knows football; it’s just the terminology’s a little different. I’m not worried about him.”
Nor should Jones be concerned with Elliott’s get-up.
When he emerged from the Don Hutson Center and walked onto Clark Hinkle Field (the Packers immortalize all-time greats at every turn at and around adjacent Lambeau Field) Elliott was layered in navy blue. He donned a hoodie under his pads and jersey (as signaled on social media, Elliott was No. 15, which he wore at Ohio State) along with sweat pants over his leg pads.
Elliott jogged through some routes and high-stepped through early practice drills, but mostly stuck close to running backs coach Vinnie Sunseri before the Pats joined the Packers on Ray Nitschke Field for an intense succession of 11-on-11 series.
Prior to 2022, when he gained a career-low 876 yards in 15 games, Elliott eclipsed the 1,000-yard rushing mark three times and caught 47 or more passes four times in his first six NFL seasons. The recently-turned 28-year old also rushed for at least 10 touchdowns four times, including a dozen last season, and is highly regarded as a pass blocker.
Adding him on a one-year deal lends a layer of depth to a position group featuring unproven second-year running backs Kevin Harris and Pierre Strong, who was absent on Wednesday. Stevenson had 210 carries, netting 1,040 yards, and caught 69 passes in 2022 to become the first Patriot to lead the team in rushing and receptions since Tony Collins in 1987. But his production decreased significantly (27 rushes and nine receptions overall), while hampered by an ankle injury in Weeks 16-18.
Stevenson shared that he “might have had a little clue” ahead of Elliott’s signing, revealing that the two have met in the past thanks to a connection arranged by their agents. Expressing admiration for Elliott’s substance-filled style as a runner — “his determination, the relentlessness” — Stevenson says “our games are going to complement each other very well.”
Ezekiel Elliott runs a pass pattern during Wednesday’s practice. (Photo by Bob Socci)
