Former Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel “Zeke” Elliott made his practice debut on Wednesday for the New England Patriots.
Wearing practice jersey No. 15, Elliott was limited in his first workout since signing a one-year contract worth up to $6 million. The three-time Pro Bowl selection and two-time NFL rushing leader played seven seasons with the Cowboys.
“Zeke’s awesome so far,” Patriots quarterback Mac Jones told Masslive.com. “He was already jumping in there getting some reps so that was cool to see — fresh off a plane, trying to come out here and compete. But yeah, he seems like a great fit. Really want to take him under our wing. He’s a guy who’s played a lot of football in the NFL. Just trying to learn from him, too.”
Elliott will serve as a backup to Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson.
“I think we’re all going to learn from each other in the running back room so I’m excited,” CBS Sports quoted Stevenson as saying. “He’s gonna help us tremendously. Our game is going to complement each other’s really well.”
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EXTRA POINTS
— Jayron Kearse’s $4 million salary for this season has been guaranteed by the Cowboys, reports say. “I wasn’t worried about it,” Kearse, 29, said. “I’m out here to play football. I’m out here to go get more, much more deserved. I’m just going to have to go get that.”
— Former New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers star Rob Gronkowski, now a Fox Sports analyst, is picking the Cowboys to make the Super Bowl. “I’m gonna go with the Dallas Cowboys,” the four-time Super Bowl champion said on FanDuel’s “Up and Adams. “I mean, they’ve been making the playoffs every year. This is the year they get over that edge.”
— Indianapolis Colts All-Pro running back Jonathan Taylor missed practice again Wednesday. “Jonathan Taylor returned to Indianapolis to continue his rehab; however, he had a personal matter arise,” the team said in a statement obtained by NFL Network. “He is not currently with the team, and his absence is excused.”
— Sam Howell is taking most of the practice snaps at quarterback for the Washington Commanders, but coach Ron Rivera is not ready to name him as the starter. “I gotta sit down with both (offensive coordinator) Eric (Bieniemy) and (QB coach) Tavita (Pritchard) and really evaluate it and make sure he’s doing the things that we need him to do,” NFL.com quoted Rivera as saying.
