Patriots' Running Game Improving; Zeke Close to Playing?
The New England Patriots' signing of two-time NFL rushing champion Ezekiel Elliott has upped the excitement ... and potential desperation ... in the final stanzas of training camp.
Time will tell exactly how well Elliott meshes with the New England offense but those that came before him put forth a strong effort in last Saturday's second preseason outing against the Green Bay Packers. Prior to the game's early ending out of respect for injured defender Isaiah Bolden, the Patriots' run game earned 96 yards on 21 carries and contributed two scores to a 21-17 advantage at the time of thstoppage. New England's backs had only 35 on 18 in the opener two weeks prior before quarterback Malik Cunningham helped partly salvage the evening.
Starter Rhamondre Stevenson, who sat out of Week 1, gained 27 yards on four carries. One was a 23-yard tally and another was a one-yard plunge for New England's first score. This time around, Stevenson's understudies provided true relief, as Kevin Harris and J.J. Taylor united for 50 on 14 ground attempts. Bailey Zappe also ran in another touchdown.
The extraordinarily understandable focus on Bolden's health and status has stifled conversation around the improvement, but Patriots head coach Bill Belichick seemed relatively pleased. Especially with fourth-year veteran Taylor. While he was one of the Patriots' most prominent offensive stars against Green Bay (picking up 56 yards on seven total touches), Belichick felt his non-box score entries were more impressive.
“J.J. has just gotten better every year,” Belichick said this week. “He works extremely hard, very diligent guy, had a couple good things in pass protection, which with his size is always a little bit of a challenge. But he’s a tough kid and strong for his size. So, that’s an area that he’s really grown in and just in general in the passing game.”
With Stevenson standing as the Patriots' undisputed top, established offensive weapon and Elliott obviously not going anywhere, major decisions await when it comes to rushing depth stars. Taylor's tenure with the Patriots and documented improvement from Belichick might give him an advantage but he'll face stiff competition from Harris and Pierre Strong Jr. New England has also brought in C.J. Marable, who's fresh off two championship runs with the Birmingham Stallions of the USFL.
One last chance to impress lands on Friday night when the Patriots take on the Tennessee Titans in their preseason finale (8:15 p.m. ET, WBZ).
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags
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