The New England Patriots suffered a significant blow to their running back room in last week’s win over the Buffalo Bills, as veteran Antonio Gibson sustained a torn ACL. Without Gibson out for the rest of the season, New England doesn’t have their RB3 or kick returner.
Thankfully, the Patriots still have rookie TreVeyon Henderson and Rhamondre Stevenson, who should be able to share the workload in the backfield. However, they could use another RB on the active roster.
That leaves New England's front office with some options. The Patriots could look to promote Terrell Jennings or Jashaun Corbin from the practice squad, or even bring back a familiar face, such as Ezekiel Elliott.
Ezekiel Elliott Could Become an Intriguing Option for Patriots and Chargers
The ex-Patriots running back hasn’t received much interest this offseason or to start the regular season. It’s not surprising, given how Elliott's 2024 campaign ended.
Elliott returned to Dallas last year, but was clearly the RB2 behind Rico Dowdle, who turned in a 1,000-yard rushing season. Meanwhile, Elliott had a rather mediocre 295 scrimmage yards and three touchdowns on 86 touches to his name.
Things went south in Dallas towards the end of last season, which led to Elliott being released and signing with the Los Angeles Chargers. Elliott ultimately never played in a game for the Chargers, who were getting ready for the postseason.
Speaking of the Chargers, they’re another team in the same predicament as the Patriots. Los Angeles is down both of its starting running backs, which includes rookie Omarion Hampton, who was put on injured reserve this week with an ankle injury.
Unlike Gibson, who is done for the year, Hampton has a chance to return this season, which could provide an opportunity for Elliott to step in for a brief moment.
That said, New England would be better for Elliott, especially if Henderson or Stevenson were to go down as well. Head coach Mike Vrabel and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels could turn to a veteran in Elliott, who you can lean on for at least 10 touches.
Now, the bigger question is how much Elliott has left in the tank? Last season with the Cowboys, he looked like a shell of himself. However, in his only season with the Patriots, Elliott had 955 scrimmage yards and five total touchdowns, but only averaged 3.5 yards per carry.
At this point in the season, teams are always looking to bring in players for workouts to see what they could offer in the present, as well as down the road. Elliott has yet to appear on the league’s transactions log for a tryout, but given the situation in New England and Los Angeles, that could change.