The New England Patriots are in the market for a running back, and Ezekiel Elliott is the latest rusher on their radar.
The former Dallas Cowboys running back reportedly visited the Patriots in free agency Saturday, and the meeting went "very well," according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. Elliott even went out to dinner with a few New England players, per Fowler, who added there's "some love" for the three-time Pro Bowler in Foxboro.
The Patriots are thin on running back depth behind starter Rhamondre Stevenson -- veteran backup Ty Montgomery has limited in training camp due to injury, while second-year backs Kevin Harris and Pierre Strong Jr. remain mostly unproven -- and Elliott in theory would be a great addition to serve as a 1-2 punch with Stevenson.
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"All they need is a depth piece," Patriots Insider Phil Perry said Monday night on NBC Sports Boston's Arbella Early Edition, as seen in the video player above. "It's not as if I'm in love with Ezekiel Elliott, although he can catch the ball a little bit (and) can pass protect a little bit. He's the kind of dual-threat back -- he's not Rhamondre Stevenson, but that's what Stevenson gives them. And if he were to go down, I think it would be nice to have someone who can do a little bit of both -- run between the tackles and catch it -- to fill in his place."
Our Tom E. Curran has one concern with Elliott, however: What would be his motivation to sign in New England, as opposed to a more established contender with a more high-powered offense?
"It's not a championship-driven team," Curran said of the Patriots. "If I were him, I'd be looking someplace else, unless I wanted to fill out my NFL resume and say, 'I played for Bill Belichick.'
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"To me, he's an easy fit, (but) I wonder if he'll want (to play in New England), because it's not an attractive landing spot. You know you're going to be the second fiddle; you know you're going to get the ball a lot and you're gonna look in front of you and go, 'I'm running around behind Conor McDermott and Cole Strange? I don't know if that's going to work for me.'"
To Curran's point, the Patriots have depth issues along the offensive line that have already been exposed early in training camp. Despite Stevenson's best efforts, New England had a mostly pedestrian rushing attack last season (22nd in rushing attempts and 24th in rushing yards) and aren't viewed as a serious title contender in 2023, even with new offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien.
So, if Elliott wants to be in a high-powered attack with a better chance to compete for a championship, there are several superior options to New England. The Patriots do have one advantage at the moment, however: They're the only team to this point that has met with the 28-year-old.
"All that said, nobody else other than the Patriots have spoken to Ezekiel Elliott," Curran added. "So, any port in a storm, Zeke."