It's taken less than a week for Ezekiel Elliott to make a strong first impression with the New England Patriots.
The veteran running back officially signed with the Patriots on Wednesday morning, joining the team in Green Bay for joint practices with the Packers on Wednesday and Thursday. And despite missing the first two weeks of training camp as a free agent, Elliott jumped right into the action, seeing live reps with New England's first-team offense Thursday as he gets up to speed with the team's playbook.
Our Tom E. Curran has been in Green Bay this week observing Elliott as he gets acclimated and shared an encouraging observation about the three-time Pro Bowler.
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"He definitely looked good," Curran said Thursday on NBC Sports Boston's Arbella Early Edition, as seen in the video above. "He was smooth coming out of the backfield catching a few passes with the 1s (starters) and turning it upfield in full-contact periods, which is a surprise to me that he assimilated that quickly and was put out there that quickly with the 1s. He also had a number of inside runs in the red zone, and he had good push.
"He really, really looks good. He looks like a valuable addition and bringing something that Kevin Harris and Pierre Strong certainly were not bringing at this time last week."
Elliott isn't the First-Team All-Pro he used to be, but the 28-year-old still excels in short-yardage and goal-line situations, racking up 12 touchdowns last season and ranking third in the NFL in percentage of positive-EPA plays on runs inside the 2-yard line. That's a skill set the Patriots desperately needed after ranking last in the league in red zone touchdown percentage last season.
And while Elliott is more known for the gaudy stats he put up earlier in his career, Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien has observed a veteran running back who has an intimate knowledge of the game and can be on the field for all three downs if necessary.
"One thing you see right away is he's smart," O'Brien told reporters Friday in a video press conference. "He's been in different systems, he understands football. Maybe they called it apples and we call it oranges, but it's still football. He gets it, he picks up on it really quick.
"... I do think he's a three-down back, and he's been a really good addition the last two days for our football team."
Rhamondre Stevenson still projects as the lead back in New England, with Elliott expected to serve in a more complementary role. But so far, it appears Zeke is worth the investment.