Getty The New England Patriots found a Pro Bowl-level replacement for Damien Harris.
The New England Patriots replaced Damien Harris with a Pro Bowl-caliber running back by signing Ezekiel Elliott on Monday, August 14.
Elliott arrives on a “1-year deal worth up to $6M,” after spending seven seasons with the Dallas Cowboys, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero.
Rapoport also confirmed how the Pats wanted a “running back to bang it between the tackles” to complement lead back Rhamondre Stevenson. The need became greater once Harris joined AFC East rivals the Buffalo Bills in free agency.
Running between the tackles was once Harris’ forte in a Pats uniform, but Elliott, a former NFL rushing champion, three-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro, is an upgrade in this area.
Patriots Acquired Elite ‘Between the Tackles’ Weapon
Grinding out tough yards through the interior has never been a problem for Elliott. He established a niche between the tackles during his explosive 2016 rookie season, per Pro Football Focus.
During his impressive rookie year, Ezekiel Elliott ran for more yards between the tackles than all but one other HB
Elliott led the NFL in rushing as a first-year back, and while he’s rarely scaled those heights since, he remains a potent force on inside runs. From 2018 to 2021, no running back in the league was as productive on “rush attempts between the tackles,” according to Next Gen Stats.
Since 2018, Ezekiel Elliott leads the NFL in percentage of runs over expected on rush attempts between the tackles (38.3%).
*Min. 250 inside runs since 2018
Happy Birthday, @EzekielElliott | 🎂
Beating up defenses along the interior was how Harris came to the fore in the Patriots’ backfield. It made him a key cog in a smash-mouth rushing scheme that still uses lots of power and gap-blocking principles.
The Patriots’ throwback running attack powered the team’s entry into the playoffs in 2021. It was a season where Harris totaled 929 yards on the ground and averaged 4.7 a carry between the tackles, per Bills Chat Podcast.
In 2021, Damien Harris averaged 4.7 YPC on runs between the tackles.
If the Bills get the 2021 Damien Harris, this is going to be such a steal of a signing.
A classic Harris inside run from that season was highlighted by Taylor Kyles of CLNS Patriots against the New York Jets.
Damien Harris is a perfect between-the-tackles RB
Vision + anticipation are off the charts and he runs through everything, but the explosiveness to top it all off is just unfair
Kyles’ description of Harris as “a perfect between-the-tackles RB” underlined his value to New England’s offense. Now, head coach Bill Belichick and offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien can trust Elliott to live up to that lofty description.
Signing Elliott also ended a search for running back help that saw New England linked with a host of marquee names, including Dalvin Cook and Super Bowl winner Leonard Fournette.
New Signing Ends High-Profile Search
The Patriots visited with Elliott after they’d also met with Fournette, who helped Pats’ great Tom Brady win a Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020. Fournette fit the mold of a runner with a nose for the end zone, as well as being adept at catching passes.
Those same qualities likely made Kareem Hunt, who took the league by storm as a dual-threat weapon for the Kansas City Chiefs in 2016, an intriguing fit for the Patriots. Ultimately, no deal came to fruition for Hunt nor Fournette, but there were more consistent links to Cook.
The former Minnesota Vikings standout was seen as a strong candidate for the Patriots by Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio, along with Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. Yet, while Cook’s credentials and versatility are first-rate, Elliott is no mere consolation prize.
Instead, he’s an ex-NFL rushing champion with the right power-running style to help create a formidable two-headed backfield monster with Stevenson. Their brute-force styles will give the Patriots all they need to control the clock, ease the pressure on quarterback Mac Jones and his receivers, and keep a potentially dominant defense fresher deep into the season.