New England Patriots reportedly fielding trade interest for RB Ezekiel Elliott
Will Patriots running back Ezekiel Elliott be with a new team by the end of business Tuesday afternoon?
Jordan Schultz with the Bleacher Report shared Tuesday that there may be some movement with Elliott, the former Cowboy who now is with the Patriots. Schultz posted on X (formerly Twitter):
“Sources: RB-needy teams have reached out to the Patriots about the availability of Ezekiel Elliott. Elliott will be a free agent again after this season. The 2X time All-Pro has 260 yards and two TDs this year.”
Cowboys waived Ezekiel Elliott in offseason
The NFL trading deadline is this afternoon. The transactions need to be complete by 4 p.m. Eastern.
The Cowboys waived Ezekiel Elliott back in the spring, designating him as a June 1 release. Owner Jerry Jones said he cut Elliott solely because of financial reasons. The Cowboys selected Elliott, the former Ohio State Buckeye, with the No. 4 pick in the 2016 Draft. He won two NFL rushing titles and his career yardage total ranked him behind two Cowboys Hall of Famers — Emmitt Smith and Tony Dorsett. But because of injuries, Elliott eventually fell to situational-back status behind starter Tony Pollard. Besides waiving Elliott, the Cowboys also placed the franchise tag on Pollard.
Elliott signed with the Patriots after training camp started. It’s unclear what other teams were interested in signing Elliott then. He’s still second team with the Patriots, playing behind former Oklahoma Sooner Rhamondre Stevenson.
Back in the summer, the Patriots also looked at signing former LSU star Leonard Fournette. But Fournette, formerly with the Tampa Bay Bucs, finally found a team this week when the Bills signed him to their practice squad. In addition, Dalvin Cook, who switched from the Vikings to the Jets this summer, also is reportedly unhappy and might be pushing for a trade. So keep an eye on his name.
The Patriots are 2-6 this season. At this point, they may be willing to shed some players for future draft picks. Since Ezekiel Elliott will be a free agent after the season, coach Bill Belichick might be trying to get some value from the running back before he leaves. Elliott can gain difficult yardage and he’s a good receiver. He’s caught 13 passes for the Patriots in eight games.