Elliott on Empty: What's Patriots' New RB Have Left in Tank?

The New England Patriots are getting value in the form of cost-friendly contact with running back Ezekiel Elliott, but are they acquiring a declining player with little left in the tank?

Bill Belichick is infamous for ballin' on a budget. While the rest of the NFL regularly breaks its bank on high-profile, lucrative free agents, the New England Patriots remain prudent, almost frivolous, in their talent-acquisition spending.

To wit, the entire Pats' receivers room this season will make a combined salary of $24 million while Tyreek Hill of the Miami Dolphins is scheduled to earn $30 million by himself. Among spending on offensive players, the Pats rank 29th in the league.

Enter this week's addition, Ezekiel Elliott. Belichick could've spent more on a more recently productive running back such as Dalvin Cook. But he decided to clip coupons and spend a maximum of $6 million (the Jets could out almost $9 for Cook) to sign a 28-year-old clearly in decline from his peak of winning rushing titles in 2016 and 2018.

Elliott was on the practice field Wednesday in Green Bay during a joint practice with the Packers sporting a new haircut and a new number, but how much does he really have left in his relatively old tank?

Is he still near full? Last season with the Dallas Cowboys he tied for third in the NFL with 12 rushing touchdowns, including a score in his final nine games. And since 2016 he has 30 100-yard games, second only to the Titans' Derek Henry (34).

Is he running on fumes? In 2022 he produced career lows in almost every major statistical category (carries, yards, average) and he was unseated for a starting job by younger, faster Tony Pollard. In the last three seasons, Zeke has less production than Cook (who is also 28) in yards per game (108-76), yards per touch (5.1-4.3) and Pro Bowls (3-0).

The Cowboys released Elliott in March, but now sound like a team sad to see him leave.

Said his best friend and former teammate Dak Prescott, "I know he'll do well." Added Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy, "It's a great fit for him in New England." And Micah Parsons even hit the hyper-hyperbole button, half-joking (we think) that Elliott would run for "2,000" yards in Foxboro.

The Patriots will likely use Elliott in small doses: short-yardage, Red Zone and in pass protection. He'll provide rest for starter Rhamondre Stevenson, who visibly wore down last December after an injury to backup Damien Harris forced him to play as much as 90-percent of the snaps in games.

Stevenson is initially in favor of the move, tweeting only the smiling, purple face with devil horns when news broke Tuesday afternoon.

😈

— Rhamondre Stevenson (@dreeday32) August 14, 2023

Wednesday in Green Bay, Stevenson elaborated: “Our games are going to compliment each other very well.”

Belichick has used the bargain-bin strategy before with running backs, to the organization's advantage.

Corey Dillon was almost 30 in 2004 when the Pats traded a second-round pick for him, and he rewarded them with 1,635 yards and 12 touchdowns on a Super Bowl team. LeGarrette Blount was a similar gamble in 2013, coming to New England for a 7th-rounder and going on to lead the league with 18 touchdowns in addition to 1,161 yard three seasons later.

The move also backfired. See Fred Taylor, Mike Gillislee, etc.

If Zeke vaults the Patriots from the league's worst Red-Zone offense, helps protect quarterback Mac Jones in blitz pick-up and keeps Stevenson fresh into the last part of the season, he'll be worth every - modest - penny.

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