NFL

Ezekiel Elliott reportedly will sign with New England Patriots on one-year deal worth up to $6million

By Sports Desk August 14, 2023

Ezekiel Elliott has found a new home.

The 28-year-old running back is expected to sign with the New England Patriots on a one-year deal worth up to $6million, according to a report from NFL Media on Monday.

The 2023 NFL regular season is less than a month away, and Elliott has been a free agent since the Dallas Cowboys released him in March.

Drafted fourth overall by the Cowboys in 2016, Elliott was a two-time rushing champion in Dallas, including in his rookie year when he tallied a career-best 1,631 yards over the ground.

He also won a rushing title in 2018 and is a three-time Pro Bowl selection, but hasn't earned that honour since 2019.

After averaging 96.52 rushing yards per game and 4.62 yards per attempt in his first four seasons, he's averaged 60.79 yards per game and 4.01 yards per carry in the last three years.

He still has a nose for the end zone, tallying 12 rushing touchdowns in 2022 - only four players had more - but wasn't a threat to break off a long run, averaging a career-low 3.79 yards per carry.

Of the 31 players with at least 175 carries last season, Elliott's rushing average beat out only Leonard Fournette's mark of 3.53.

He struggled mightily to move the ball in Dallas' two playoff games last season, rushing for a mere 53 yards on 23 attempts.

In March, he became expendable when the Cowboys designated Tony Pollard as a franchise player for the 2023 season.

Pollard emerged as the Cowboys’ best running back and earned his first Pro Bowl nod with an outstanding 2022 campaign in which he rushed for 1,007 yards and scored 12 total touchdowns. His 5.22 yards per rush attempt ranked second in the NFL among players with at least 175 carries.

Elliott now joins a Patriots backfield led by Rhamondre Stevenson, who rushed for 1,040 yards and five touchdowns in 2022 with an average of 4.95 yards per rush - fifth highest among qualifiers.

Elliott's first regular-season game with New England will come against a familiar foe, as the Patriots open the season September 10 against the reigning NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles, a divisional rival of the Cowboys.

In Week 4, Elliott will get to face his former team with New England visiting Dallas on October 1.

 

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