Ezekiel Elliott, who was released by the Cowboys after seven seasons, reportedly visited with the Patriots on Saturday. Ron Jenkins/Associated Press
The Patriots hosted ex-Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott on a free-agent visit Saturday, a source confirmed to the Boston Herald.
Elliott has been a free agent since Dallas released him in mid-March. Last season, Elliott rushed for 876 yards and 12 touchdowns while averaging 3.8 yards per carry and starting 14 of 15 games. In New England, he could serve as the primary backup to Rhamondre Stevenson, especially in light of Ty Montgomery’s recent leg injury in training camp.
Elliott is the third veteran back to visit the Patriots the past couple weeks, following Leonard Fournette and Darrell Henderson. At this stage of his career, the 28-year-old is not considered a starting-caliber back, but he remains a powerful runner and strong pass protector in blitz pickup.
Elliott has spent all seven years of his career with the Cowboys, who made him the fourth overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft out of Ohio State.
His last 1,000-yard season came in 2021, when he averaged just 4.2 yards per carry and caught 47 passes for 287 yards. Elliott last averaged better than 4.5 yards per touch in 2019, his most recent Pro Bowl campaign. Over his career, he’s made three Pro Bowls and one All-Pro team.
If Elliott signs with the Patriots, he would join Stevenson, Montgomery, 2022 draft picks Pierre Strong and Kevin Harris, and J.J. Taylor in the running backs room. In 2019, Patriots Coach Bill Belichick praised Elliott ahead of a regular-season game in Foxborough, Massachusetts, calling him a “tough back” and “downhill guy.”
“He’s had a lot of big runs since he’s come in this league, way more than anybody else,” Belichick added. “He’s a hard guy to tackle. He’s got good vision, good power.”
The Score first reported Elliott’s visit to New England.
ACCORDING TO BELICHICK, Demario Douglas is like most of the other Patriots rookies.
He’s hard-working, versatile and taking on new roles during training camp. Except, unlike any other rookie, Douglas has seen regular snaps with the starting offense in all three practices to date. The 5-foot-8, 192-pounder out of Liberty has impressed with his quickness, especially out of the slot. He caught four passes during team drills Friday.
Douglas has also tried his hand at returning, serving as one of three kick returners in full-team kickoff drills at team’s last practice.
“Demario’s working at returns and offensively inside and outside, so it’s a big jump for him from a competition level in college, but he seems to be transitioning pretty well,” Belichick said. “He’s a smart kid. He picks things up well, learns quickly, so all things that work in his favor, but we’ll see how it goes when things get more competitive next week.”
MATTHEW JUDON’S trademark red sleeves pre-date his time as a Patriot.
As the 30-year-old detailed Friday, he was first inspired by an ex-teammate in Baltimore, Terrell Suggs, who once donned long sleeves to help himself get in shape during training camp. Suggs, a longtime Patriots villain, then followed that summer with an excellent season, something Judon has only enjoyed in New England, posting 12.5 and 15.5 sacks, respectively, in each of the past two years.
“One year, (Suggs) came in and he was a little overweight. He practiced his butt off and wore a long-sleeve every day. And like by the end of camp, like, he had a six-pack and he was ready,” Judon said. “He went out there and got like 12 and a half sacks in like his 13th year. And so I was like, man, if he can do just that little thing and just forget about the elements, forget about how hot he is, forget about if he’s cold, forget about like the circumstances that’s going around and just focus on football, that’s what I want to steal from him.”
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