The New England Patriots are already in the middle of a franchise-altering offseason. They have a new head coach, restructured their front office, and are anticipated to overhaul their roster from the top down.Free corporation will be a key section of this process. And whilst including external gamers to the mix will undoubtably happen, there are additionally quite a few in-house free agents to be taken care of. In total, 24 are headed toward the open market this spring and in want of a new contract.
Among them is strolling lower back Ezekiel Elliott, the subsequent participant in our free agency profile series.
Hard facts
- Name: Ezekiel Elliott
- Position: Running back
- Opening day age: 29 (7/22/1995)
- Size: 6’0”, 225 lbs
- Jersey number: 15
- Free agency status: Unrestricted free agent
- Experience
A standout at Ohio State, Elliott heard his named known as fourth standard by using the Dallas Cowboys in the 2016 NFL Draft. Piling up 15 speeding touchdowns and a league-high 322 tries and 1,631 rushing yards his rookie year, Elliott made his mark at once as he was named a First-team All-Pro and earned a Pro Bowl nod.After his rookie campaign, Elliott used to be suspended for six video games for violating the NFL’s non-public habits coverage in 2017. The lower back played in simply 10 games for the Cowboys later that season and rushed for 983 yards and seven touchdowns.
The 2018 season then saw Elliott take returned off on the area as he received his 2d rushing title in three years with 1,434 yards on the ground. The returned also caught a career-high 77 passes en route to leading the league with 381 total touches.The success led to the Cowboys selecting up the back’s fifth-year choice in the offseason. However, Elliott started out a keep out at some stage in training camp which resulted in a six-year contract extension with the Cowboys well worth $90 million ($50 million guaranteed). That year he earned his 1/3 Pro Bowl nod ending with 1,357 speeding yards and 12 touchdowns to go along with 54 receptions.
Elliott took a bit of a step returned the following yr as he failed to attain the 1,000-yard mark for solely the 2d time in his career (despite playing 15 games). The following season, Elliott again saw his carries lessen as he dealt with knee and ankle accidents however nonetheless managed 1,002 dashing yards whilst acting in 17 games.It was the 2022 season that saw Elliott’s workload took a vast decrease as Tony Pollard saw improved snaps in Dallas’ backfield. Despite scoring 12 touchdowns, Elliott noticed career-lows for the time in attempts (231), dashing yards (876), yards per attempts (3.8), and receptions (17).
The again was once then launched in March following the season despite having three years last on his extension. It took Elliott till the middle of August to sign on with his subsequent team as the Patriots gave him a one-year contract.
2023 review
Stats: 17 games (5 starts) | 539 offensive snaps (51 percent) | 184 dashing attempts, 642 speeding yards, 3 dashing touchdowns, fifty one receptions, 313 receiving yards, two receiving touchdownsSeason recap: Signing on in the center of August, Elliott got here as marketed to Foxboro. While the dashing data might also no longer bounce off the web page (career-low 3.5 yards per carry), the lower back was once a challenging runner between the tackles that was once regularly negatively impacted by using his offensive line.
After easing into matters to start the season, Elliott took on a workhorse roll for New England as soon as Rhamondre Stevenson suffered a season-ending ankle damage in Week 12. That included dealing with a season-high 29 touches the following week the place he totaled one hundred forty scrimmage yards and a rating in a victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers.Elliott’s added cost as a skip catcher performed a big part of New England’s offense down the stretch. The veteran tallied five-plus catches in 4 of his last five games in order to lead the team with fifty one receptions. However, the returned did conflict at instances in blitz protection despite being acknowledged for his ignore seasoned ability.
Free agency preview
What is his contract history? Originally enjoying on his four-year rookie contract worth roughly $25 million, Elliott signed a rewarding six-year, $90 million extension with the Cowboys. However, the lower back was once released three years later which led him to signing a one-year deal with New England really worth $3 million.Which groups would possibly be in the running? Elliott’s market used to be susceptible closing season which led him to joining the Patriots in mid-August. However, the veteran proved he nevertheless has some fuel left in the tank and ought to be attractive to a contender subsequent season. That ought to encompass the Houston Texans, Baltimore Ravens, or Cincinnati Bengals.
Why have to he be expected back? Elliott proved to be a strong pair with Stevenson in the Patriots’ backfield last season and ought to be even higher with elevated offensive line play. The returned enjoyed working with Stevenson and used to be a sturdy veteran presence in the course of the yr in New England’s locker room.
Why need to he be expected to leave? With Alex Van Pelt taking over the offense, the new coordinator may decide upon a returned with a bit more juice in order to get outside the tackles in their area schemes. And coming into Year 9, Elliott can also decide on to go to a crew with a higher shot of contending next season.
What is his projected free corporation outcome? While New England entertain preserving Elliott, it would be no shock to see the veteran discover opportunities with teams that venture to be in competition subsequent season. No matter what he decides, Elliott’s performance in 2023 ought to earn him a slight increase over the $3 million contract he earned closing summer.
What do you think about Ezekiel Elliott heading into free agency? Will the Patriots attempt to preserve him around? Or will they favor to go in a special direction at cornerback? Please head down to the remark section to discuss.
