After playing his first seven seasons with the Dallas Cowboys, running back Ezekiel Elliott traded in his cowboy boots for a parka after he signed with the New England Patriots during the offseason.
He only managed 29 rushing yards on seven carries in his first game with New England as the team fell to the defending NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles, 25-20.
But he liked what he saw from quarterback Mac Jones, saying Jones was “fearless,” per Andrew Callahan.
Zeke on his first game with Mac Jones: “He was fearless out there.”
— Andrew Callahan (@_AndrewCallahan) September 14, 2023
Jones completed 35 of 54 passes for 316 yards and three touchdowns, and many in New England are expecting him to bounce back from a subpar 2022 season and silence his critics.
As a rookie in 2021, he was named to the Pro Bowl, but last season he threw just 14 touchdown passes in 14 games.
In fact, when he was out with an injury and Bailey Zappe took over under center, there was a trickle of a thought that perhaps Zappe would be better off as the starter than Jones.
In his early years in the NFL, Elliott was a star who made the Pro Bowl in three of his first four seasons, but his production has declined ever since, and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones decided to hand the baton in the backfield to Tony Pollard.
For the first time in his pro career, Elliott is a second-stringer, as Rhamondre Stevenson is the starter at running back for the Patriots.
He will give them depth at the position as the team looks to find itself three years after the legendary Tom Brady departed.
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