Bill Belichick Always Wanted Ezekiel Elliott On Patriots, Ex-Player Says

Bill Belichick has coveted Ezekiel Elliott for years, according to one former Patriots standout.

After Elliott agreed Monday to sign with New England, retired running back James White said Belichick is a longtime admirer of the former Dallas Cowboys star.

"I know Bill Belichick has talked about some of the best backs in the league, and I know he's a big fan of Zeke," White said on SiriusXM NFL Radio, as transcribed by ESPN's Mike Reiss. "Whenever we would compete against (the Cowboys), he would always talk about how much he wanted to have him on his roster."

Elliott, who faced the Patriots twice during his Cowboys tenure, was one of the NFL's premier backs early in his career, eclipsing 1,300 rushing yards in three of his first four seasons and leading the league in rushing yards per game in 2016, 2017 and 2018.

The 28-year-old no longer is that player and won't be the top dog in New England's backfield, but he should be an ideal complement to Rhamondre Stevenson.

"Rhamondre Stevenson is going to be the lead guy, the bell cow guy, but obviously Zeke is a proven veteran," White said. "He may not have the 1,500/1,600 rushing yards like his first few years in the league with that Dallas offensive line, but he can still be a very productive back. He's great in the red zone, so I'm sure they'll use him in the running game there. He's great on third down and picking up blitzes, so I think he'll have a huge impact when it comes to that."

Elliott also fumbled just once on 532 touches over the last two seasons, and he's proven he can handle a heavy workload, topping 230 carries in each of his seven NFL campaigns. He should give the Patriots the reliable No. 2 behind Stevenson that they lacked both last season and this summer.

"Whenever we would compete against (the Cowboys), (Bill Belichick) would always talk about how much he wanted to have him on his roster."

James White on Ezekiel Elliott

Stevenson amassed the fourth-most yards from scrimmage (1,461) by a Patriots player in the Bill Belichick era in 2022, but he also played more snaps than any New England back in the previous decade as running mate Damien Harris struggled to stay healthy and then-rookies Pierre Strong and Kevin Harris developed slowly.

The Patriots let Damien Harris walk in free agency, and his initial replacement, James Robinson, lasted just three months before being released in June. At the time of Elliott's arrival, their depth chart beneath Stevenson consisted of Strong, Kevin Harris, J.J. Taylor, Ty Montgomery and newly signed USFL alum C.J. Marable, with Strong and Montgomery both sidelined with injuries.

"I think it just adds depth to the running back room," White said. "Rhamondre Stevenson kind of wore down a little bit towards the back half of (last) season. I know he probably wasn't expecting to play as many snaps as he did once Damien Harris went down for a good portion of the season. He was playing 80-19% of the snaps -- first, second, third down -- so it will be huge to have that 1-2 punch to spell a guy and not have that dropoff.

" ... Those are big, powerful, strong, fast guys who can catch the football, and that's what you want in a running back."

Elliott reportedly is expected to debut for the Patriots during this week's joint practices with the Green Bay Packers.