In The Offseason of the Running Back—a six-month period where the financial and tactical state of one of football’s most glamorous positions made near-constant headlines—Ezekiel Elliott was largely forgotten.
Supplanted by Tony Pollard in the Cowboys' room in 2022, Elliott was unceremoniously released on March 15 after seven years in Dallas. The Ohio State great had once been among football’s most potent backs—he was the league’s leading rusher in ’16 and ’18—but his decline was undeniable.
On Monday, the Patriots reportedly signed Elliott to a one-year contract, giving quarterback Mac Jones a veteran offensive piece and Elliott a new home. Needless to say, the football world's reactions varied.
