Patriots' Bill O'Brien Praises '3-Down Back' Ezekiel Elliott: 'Happy to Have Him'

The New England Patriots have a solid one-two punch in the backfield following the signing of Ezekiel Elliott to go alongside Rhamondre Stevenson, and offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien is happy to have the former Dallas Cowboys running back in Foxborough.

"I do think he's a three-down back and and he's been a really good addition the last two days to our football team," O'Brien told reporters. "We're really happy to have him."

Patriots running backs coach Vinnie Sunseri also told reporters that Elliott has been a leader in the running back room despite only being in the building for a few days.

"He has a lot of experience," Sunseri said. "It's good. He talks to all the guys in the room about how he sees runs, how he sees protections. He communicates well. It's been good. It's been really good. He's had a little bit of a leadership role so far."

Elliott signed a one-year deal with New England worth up to $6 million after being released by the Cowboys earlier this summer. He was working with the first team offense in practice on Thursday, which comes as little surprise as he's not expected to be a full-on backup to Stevenson.

Elliott, 28, is coming off a down year in 2022 by his standards. He rushed for 876 yards and 12 touchdowns in 15 games, in addition to catching 17 passes for 92 yards.

His decline in performance over the last several seasons likely isn't much of a concern for New England, especially considering he could have a bounce back 2023 campaign with this change in scenery.