Blocking Back: Patriots' Zeke Promises to Protect Mac

Ezekiel Elliott has made his living as a running back but hinted at an expected benefit to his New England Patriots debut.

By now, everyone knows what Ezekiel Elliott brings to the table: he has 8,262 examples of it through rushing yards in seven seasons with the Dallas Cowboys.

But as his New England Patriots debut draws near, Elliott won't be tasked with his usual rushing workload. Not only is there not enough time, considering he's literally one of the newest players, but the team is also already blessed with Rhamondre Stevenson. Willing to accept the Patriots' spell rushing challenge, Elliott has mentioned that he can't wait to help in another New England area of need, one perhaps unexpected to the football fan's naked eye.

“Blitz pickup has been a priority since college,” Elliott told NESN. "If you can’t protect the quarterback, you can’t get on the field. It’s also just another time to go out there and hit those guys.”

The idea of Elliott blocking may seem humorous to football fans who saw his Cowboys career end in comical fashion, as he was the center on a desperation trick play at the end of Dallas' NFC Divisional playoff loss to San Francisco. But it's something that he hopes has defined him throughout his NFL career.

Though Elliott is far more renowned for his box score contributions, he has always made sure that the man handing him the ball is well taken care of. From the moment he came onto the NFL radar, the 228-lb. Elliott believed his blocking abilities would separate him from his competition.

“I think the thing that sets me apart is just my versatility,” Elliott said before his drafting in 2016, per WKYC. “I’m a guy that can play three downs. You don’t have to take me off the field. I value blocking more than anything. I obviously love to run the ball and I think I have great hands coming out of the backfield.”

If Elliott is truly serious about helping the Patriots' protection fortunes as he crams for Week 1, he'll be thrown into the fire immediately against a familiar opponent: fresh off a jaw-dropping 70-sack season, the Philadelphia Eagles will come to Gillette Stadium on Sept. 10 to help christen Elliott's New England tenure.

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