It didn't take long for Ezekiel Elliott to make a splash play for his new team. During his first live practice as a member of the Patriots, Elliott scored a touchdown during a joint practice between the Patriots and Packers.
On the play, Elliott -- who a day earlier took part in walk-through and some positional drills during his first practice with New England -- took a handoff from Mac Jones, quickly found the hole on the left side of the Packers' defense, then made a nifty cutback before absorbing contact from defensive backs Jaire Alexander and Jonathan Owens as he crossed the goal line.
Coming through 😤@EzekielElliott | #ForeverNE pic.twitter.com/gxpwv1pTjA
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) August 18, 2023
On Thursday, Patriots coach Bill Belichick said that Elliott will have to learn the Patriots' playbook and terminology before any conclusions can be made regarding Elliott's role in the offense. Based on his touchdown, it appears that Elliott is off to a good start in New England, who signed him just prior to Wednesday's joint practice.
It's safe to assume that Elliott was brought in to fill Damien Harris' role as Rhamondre Stevenson's sidekick. Stevenson shared the backfield with Harris during his first two seasons before Harris signed with Buffalo during hist past offseason. Stevenson took the reins from Harris during the 2022 season and became the first Patriot to rush for over 1,000 yards since LeGarrette Blount in 2016.
Stevenson, speaking to the media earlier this week, expressed his excitement to work with Elliott, a two-time league rushing champion and the third-leading rusher in Cowboys history. Stevenson said that Elliott will help the Patriots' offense "tremendously."
"The way he runs the ball, his determination, his relentlessness," Stevenson said when asked what he admires from Elliott's game. "He's just going to give you all he's got. ... I wouldn't really compare us together, but I feel like our game's going to complement each other very well."
