The New England Patriots, the Pittsburgh Steelers Week 14 opponent, made a splash today by signing former Dallas Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott to a one-year, $6 million deal, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Media.
With Dallas giving the franchise tag to Tony Pollard this offseason, the former fourth-overall pick’s days in Dallas were numbered. Due to the slow-moving free agent RB market, Elliott found himself looking for a new home into August. But New England, who recently hosted him on a visit, saw the value of adding Elliott to a running back room that also features Rhamondre Stevenson, Kevin White and Pierre Strong Jr.
Elliott’s coming off a season where he ran for 876 yards and 12 touchdowns, and he’ll likely get a lot of short-yardage work in New England. The two-time All-Pro has 68 career rushing touchdowns and 8,262 yards in seven years, all of which are with the Cowboys.
New England might look to lean more on its rushing attack this season after a year of shaky quarterback play out of Mac Jones. The return of former Houston Texans head coach Bill O’Brien at offensive coordinator provides some hope for Jones, but in the brutal AFC East the Patriots are looking like underdogs in 2023. More of a run-focused approach to wear down defenses and give the potent opposing offenses in the division less time with the ball could be beneficial for the Patriots.
Elliott provides a guy who can wear out defenses and run between the tackles. At 6’0, 228 pounds with a whole lot of muscle, he’s a tough guy to bring down. For the Steelers, Week 14 on Thursday Night Football might be a game that their inside linebacker corps circles on their calendars as one to be ready for with New England now featuring a bruising running back in Elliott and another threat in Stevenson.
