Ezekiel Elliott Rumors: Is Patriots Deal Official? Will He Practice Vs. Packers?

We still don’t know whether we’ll see Ezekiel Elliott on the field in Green Bay this week.

The star running back’s one-year contract with the New England Patriots is now official, NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport reported Wednesday morning. The two sides first came to an agreement on Monday.

Elliott on Tuesday traveled with his new teammates to Green Bay, where the Patriots will face the Packers in a pair of joint practices and a preseason matchup. However, while Rapoport confirmed Elliott will be at Lambeau Field, he cast some doubt on the possibility of the 28-year-old participating in joint practices, which are scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday.

“We’ll see about the joint practices, but he is present,” Rapoport wrote in a post on the X platform.

Considering Elliott went without an NFL job for roughly five months, it would make sense if the Patriots want to bring him along slowly. Even if he’s in good physical condition, he likely will some time to become comfortable with Bill O’Brien’s playbook.

Once Elliott does take the field, it’ll be interesting to see how he and fellow backups Kevin Harris, Pierre Strong and J.J. Taylor split up carries. Harris likely will be his top competition, especially if Strong remains sidelined after missing the last two practices.