Ezekiel Elliott Trade Rumors Heating Up For Patriots

With the NFL Trade Deadline coming up on Tuesday, the New England Patriots need to make some moves one way or the other. They either need to add considerable talent to their last-place roster if they want to make a playoff push or sell off veterans and start rebuilding for next year.

With the latter option looking much more likely at this point, one big-name Patriots player is already on the chopping block.

Ezekiel Elliott Trade Rumors

According to Greg Bedard of Boston Sports Journal, Elliott is one of several trade candidates that New England to be moving at the deadline along with Josh Uche, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Jalen Mills and Devante Parker, among others.

The veteran running back hasn't performed as hoped after signing a one-year, $3 million contract with the Patriots in the offseason. Through 7 games so far, he's only had one contest with more than 35 rushing yards. The former Dallas Cowboys star is averaging just 32.0 rushing yards per game and 3.7 yards per carry -- both career lows.

With Elliott failing to provide much of an impact in the backfield alongside Rhamondre Stevenson, Bill Belichick could be open to dealing him at the deadline. Elliott is going to be a free agent at the end of the season and likely won't return next year, making this a prime opportunity for Belichick to get something back for him before he leaves.

Teams could always use running back depth, especially at this time of year when injuries start to pile up. The Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens in particular could use a proven RB2 like Elliott, making them potential trade partners.

So even though Elliott just got here a few months ago, his time in New England could be coming to an end.

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