Report: Ezekiel Elliott leaves Patriots visit without contract

Former Cowboys star Ezekiel Elliott left Patriots headquarters without agreeing to a deal, Saturday, as New England continues to look for a second running back.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported that Elliott and the Patriots plan to “stay in touch.”

Zeke has left the building. But the two sides will stay in touch. https://t.co/eCpkQw0Pa7

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 29, 2023

The Cowboys released Ezekiel Elliott in March for financial reasons. Although Elliott has two NFL rushing titles to his credit, he’d slipped to second string behind Tony Pollard. The Cowboys placed the franchise tag on Pollard. And Pollard agreed to take the one-year offer of a guaranteed $10.1 million, although the sides didn’t reach a long-term deal.

The Patriots are looking for another running back to add to their rotation. Rhamondre Stevenson is the starter. He’s the former Oklahoma Sooner and 2021 fourth-round pick who gained 1,040 yards last season.

Meanwhile, Bill Belichick is looking for an experienced tailback to join the team. The Patriots brought in Leonard Fournette for a visit 10 days ago, before training camp started. The Jaguars used the fourth pick of the 2017 NFL Draft to select Fournette. He’s played the last three seasons with the Bucs. However, his rushing production dipped last fall. He started nine games and played in 16. And he gained 668 yards with three touchdowns. He averaged only 3.5 yards a carry. He did catch 73 passes.

If not Ezekiel Elliott, Patriots could look to Dalvin Cook

Belichick also may be looking to sign Dalvin Cook, who the Vikings cut last month. Similar to the Cowboys and Ezekiel Elliott, Minnesota waived Cook for financial reasons. Cook is spending this weekend at Florham Park, N.J., visiting the Jets.

Rapoport said the Patriots are interesting in Ezekiel Elliott for more than just his running ability.

“The Patriots are in the market for a kind of banger number two (back),” Rapoport said. “A guy who can go between the tackles. Leonard Fournette or (Ezekiel) Elliott would make a lot of sense for them. And I think for for Zeke, you know the best thing he does now is actually pass protection. And he might be the best in the NFL. … He can be an incredible security blanket for a young quarterback.”

Mac Jones, who is starting his third season, is expected to be the Patriots starter at quarterback.

Ezekiel Elliott, who was the fourth pick in the 2016 draft, is coming off some career lows. He’s rushed for more than 1,000 yards in four of his six seasons. But he hasn’t surpassed that number in two of his last three seasons, or since the Cowboys extended his contract.

Back in May, ESPN quoted an unnamed general manager who said there’s not much of a market for Elliott because he’s lost a step. The speculation is Elliott would need to accept a much smaller contract to continue playing.