Patriots depth chart: RB room gets crowded with Ezekiel Elliott signing
By Kristen Wong
Patriots depth chart projection: Running backs, wide receivers, tight ends
Running backs: Rhamondre Stevenson, Ezekiel Elliott, Pierre Strong, Kevin Harris
Finally, the smoke has cleared, and one veteran back emerges: the Pats got Zeke. Ezekiel Elliott signed with New England a day ago and brings a jubilant spirit into the running back room. Stevenson is No. 1 on the depth chart, there’s no debating that. Elliott is expected to slot in as a backup/ complement to carry some of Stevenson’s workload and potentially get used in a variety of offensive packages. His 3.8 yards per carry from 2022 is admittedly depressing, but Elliott still adds value in short-yardage situations and has proven he can run the pigskin into heaping piles over and over again.
Behind Elliott, Strong and Harris should help on special teams and see some snaps on offense.
Wide receivers: JuJu Smith-Schuster, DeVante Parker, Kendrick Bourne, Tyquan Thornton, Demario Douglas
All of these guys are locks, basically. Demario Douglas became the surprise standout in camp to secure himself a roster spot by preseason Week 1. In the opener against the Texans, Douglas was treated like a starter, and he’ll probably stay that way. The open-ended question of this unit is whether another wideout can break through and convince the Pats to carry one more receiver on the roster. Rookie Kayshon Boutte appears to have the best chance of doing so, but in the end, we suspect he’ll come up short.
Tight ends: Hunter Henry, Mike Gesicki, Anthony Firkser
No surprises here, either. Under Bill O’Brien, the Patriots may revert to more two-tight end sets, which is why Henry and Gesicki could both be tabbed as starters. Firsker beats out Matt Sokol — Sokol may be the better overall blocker, but Firsker adds more value across the field.