FOXBOROUGH — Per league sources, there are several teams that remain in the mix to sign free agent running Ezekiel Elliott, including the Patriots. So what’s taking so long? Money. Shocking, right? Zeke would like more of it. The teams interested in his services would prefer to pay the bare minimum, including one, I’m told, that wants to sign the veteran RB post-week 1 so the contract is not guaranteed. So now Elliott waits, knowing that a potential injury, or continued disintegration of relationships between the Colts and Jonathan Taylor or Raiders and Josh Jacobs could spur a more lucrative filled opportunity.
I spoke with a couple of league scouts about what Elliott is all about at this stage of his career and got what I considered encouraging reports. One, who has patrolled the NFC East for over a decade, said of Elliott, “He’s still got some juice” in his legs and that he “would be a nice piece for a team that thinks it’s got a chance.” When I asked if he’d fit in New England, that same scout said Elliott’s well-rounded game would be “useful” and that, if he had to do so, the former Cowboys star could still be “the guy” for a week or two were something to happen to Rhamondre Stevenson.
The second scout thought Elliott did a nice job transitioning from being the center of attention in Dallas, while also adding, “there is no doubt he will sacrifice his body between the tackles or in blitz pickup.” With the Pats with some uncertainty behind Stevenson, I think this is something we should keep focused on as we get closer and closer to the start of the regular season.
This is also a chance for Kevin Harris and Pierre Strong to send a strong message to Bill Belichick and Bill O’Brien that there’s no need for Elliott, although that didn’t go well in the preseason opener. To be fair to them, 99.9% of the blame fell on the makeshift offensive line and their failure to do much of anything, something Bill Belichick acknowledged postgame.
Those two have been getting a ton of reps this summer, even more so after Ty Montgomery went down with what has now been essentially a two-week injury (and counting?). The joint practices with the Packers and Titans will provide even more opportunities for those two second-year runners to slam the door shut on Elliott or any other veteran running back on the radar (the Pats have had several in for visits this summer). I’ve been impressed by Harris’ improvement. He is a tank, with a thick lower half. Several Pats defenders have remarked on Harris and the power he’s displayed. He’s also caught my eye with his improvement as a pass catcher, an important element if he wants to be Stevenson’s primary backup. O’Brien doesn’t want to telegraph anything, and personnel will play into that as well.
As for Strong, he’s a different animal. He’s got speed. Loads of it. It really shows itself in his stop-and-start. He finds that top gear quickly, more so than any back on the current roster. Strong has also been sound as a pound catching the football coming out of the backfield. I particularly like some of the swing passes to him, where he is already running hard and then hits the corner. He’s got the wheels to pop one of those, although the turf monster took him down Thursday night, much to his chagrin. We haven’t seen Strong work between the tackles very much this summer. In fact, I’ve seen J.J. Taylor get more carries in those situations or down by the goal line. Does that mean Strong can’t do it? No one that I’ve talked to with the Pats has given me that indication, so I’m surmising that it’s just been situational and, on occasion, luck of the draw. No doubt he’ll get plenty in the coming weeks, if he remains healthy.
As for Montgomery, he was super involved in a couple of practices to start camp, but as has been his lot in his NFL life, he just can’t avoid the injuries. Only once in his first eight seasons has he been available for every game. That was 2019 when he was listed as a wide receiver for the Jets, yet still attempted 32 rushes and added 13 receptions. Since then? He’s played six, 14 and then one game in each of the last three years. Hard to depend on/carve out a major role for a player who gets his mail directed to the training room, even if he’s been the odds-on-favorite to fill James White’s sizable shoes these last two seasons. Of course, I write this knowing that Montgomery’s positional versatility helps aid in the personnel/alignment variance that I mentioned earlier, which likely means he might still make the club from the tub (assuming he gets out of it in the next couple weeks).
As for the rapidly dying position that is fullback (pour one out for the James Develins of the world), we’ve seen linebacker Jahlani Tavai get some reps in goal line. They didn’t go particularly well. Tavai has the athleticism for it, but someone has to remind him to keep his feet moving when he takes on a defender. He got stopped in his tracks largely because he stopped himself. Tavai’s a smart kid. He should be able to figure it out, otherwise the Pats will have to spin the dial on another defender or look to go the H-Back route with someone like Anthony Firkser, who is definitely a bubble player at this point.
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You could make the argument, roster-wise, that the Dolphins have the most talented roster in the AFC East. The addition of Vic Fangio is as seismic as the Patriots bringing back O’Brien, and if anyone will know how to take some weight off Xavien Howard and, eventually, Jalen Ramsey, it’s the Fins new defensive coordinator. But while all the talk out of South Florida reflects positively on that side of the ball, it’s been considerably rockier on the offense.
Earlier this week, Tua Tagovailoa reportedly gathered the offense after Wednesday’s joint practice with the Falcons, telling them that as a unit, they weren’t playing up their standard. Mike McDaniel didn’t disagree, adding that pre-snap penalties - which bit them in the butt last year - have been a problem so far in this camp as well. Just something to monitor from a team that has plenty of hype but without the benefit of having pelts on the wall to back that.
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While we’re on the subject of hype, Calvin Ridley is getting it, deserves it and, if he stays healthy, will deliver on it in Jacksonville. The former Falcon, who missed a year with a gambling suspension, was wisely acquired by the Jags for a third-day pick in this year’s draft and, if Ridley reaches certain play-incentives, a third-rounder next year or even a 2nd if Jacksonville re-ups him. Based on his offseason of work and reviews of his play in camp, feels like he may be a long-time fixture with Trevor Lawrence.
In 2020, Ridley caught 90 passes for 1374 yards and 9 touchdowns. He then had the 2021 season cut short because of some mental health issues and then, of course, the suspension. According to the folks down there watching the Jags every day, there haven’t been any signs of rust. When you consider adding that caliber of player to an offense that blossomed under Doug Pederson, it’s not hard to think they could be a top 6 or 7 offense in year two of his system, After all, they are 10th in passing and scoring in year one. I’d be disappointed if it didn’t get better, even with some questions along the offensive line (I feel like we can say that about just every team).