Bill Belichick slow-plays Ezekiel Elliott signing with trademark snark

The New England Patriots signed Ezekiel Elliott on Monday and are slowly ramping him up, but don’t expect minute-by-minute updates from head coach Bill Belichick. 

After a lengthy free agent process, Ezekiel Elliott signed with the New England Patriots on Monday. He signed a one year, incentive-laden deal to join Mac Jones, Rhamondre Stevenson, and JuJu Smith-Schuster atop the offensive depth chart.

While Elliott has been hard at work all summer, there is a natural ramp-up process for a player who has been away from team drills and live football for so long. Elliott isn’t going to jump right into 11-on-11 drills, but by that same token, it would behoove the Patriots — and Elliott — to make that leap as soon as possible.

Patriots coach Bill Belichick was asked about Elliott’s progress and he gave a typical Belichick answer, full of snark and vague details.

“I mean, he’s only been here two days,” Belichick told reporters. “We haven’t really been able to practice with him, so not so much team work. But, he’s done things. He worked out with the strength staff on Wednesday. So, it’s coming along. He’s definitely not there yet, but we’re getting there.”

Bill Belichick gives vague update about New England Patriots RB Ezekiel Elliott

“He’s getting there,” is probably the best Patriots fans can hope for when it comes to a Belichick media update. Zeke should get on the field sooner than later, with the Patriots’ final preseason game on Aug. 25 in Tennessee looking like a prime spot for his Patriots’ debut. If not, Zeke should be ready to go once the regular season starts.

As Mike Florio of NBC Sports notes, Elliott has every reason to get on the field as soon and as frequently as possible. He won’t have to worry about overworking himself behind Stevenson, but his contract incentives are tied to the volume of yards ($1.5 million) and games played ($1.5 million). Zeke won’t want to dilly-dally on the inactive list for very long.

Stevenson is New England’s primary RB, fresh off an impressive 1,461-yard, six-touchdown season from scrimmage. That doesn’t mean Elliott won’t get a significant portion of goal-line touches and a healthy workload on second and third downs. Zeke can catch and block better than he gets credit for and he’s still useful as a battering ram in short-yard situations.

Elliott’s 3.8 yards per carry last season marked the lowest of his career, which is even more concerning when coupled with his decrease in volume. Tony Pollard took over lead back duties in Dallas and Elliott was used situationally. Even then, he didn’t have the burst or explosive playmaking talent that once defined him coming out of Ohio State.

The Patriots will value Zeke for his veteran savvy and physicality in the trenches, but Stevenson — who averaged 5.0 yards per carry last season — is the better, fresher option. If Elliott wants to achieve his contract incentives, it will take serious commitment from the Patriots and a reinvention of sorts after last season’s disappointing results.