The New England Patriots haven't seen Ezekiel Elliott take a snap for them in an actual game yet, but according to starting quarterback Mac Jones, the veteran running back is already making a strong impact with his new team.
"Just talking and hanging out with him, he's awesome. He's just a great guy," Jones told WEEI's "Jones and Mego" on Monday afternoon. "I feel like he'll add a lot of things not only on the field but off the field, too.
"He's a great leader. He's already bringing juice to the practices, and I love that about him. We definitely have a lot of stuff we want to work on together, but he's already working really hard in the playbook and everything."
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The Patriots now have tremendous running back depth with starter Rhamondre Stevenson, Elliott, and second-year players Pierre Strong Jr. and Kevin Harris. Jones has been impressed with the whole group during camp and the first two preseason games.
"'Mondre is doing a great job, and the whole running back room. I think (running backs coach) Vinny (Sunseri) does a great job keeping everybody to that standard," Jones said.
"There isn't a lot of drop-off between players, which I love. You're in there with one guy, you're in there with a different guy, but you know they know what to do and you have confidence in every one of them."
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Elliott officially signed his one-year contract with the Patriots last week and took part in joint practices against the Packers. He only participated in drills without a defense on Wednesday, but he took part in the regular team drills against the Packers defense on Thursday.
The 28-year-old running back didn't play in Saturday's preseason win at Lambeau Field. It would make sense for him to get some reps in the preseason finale versus the Tennessee Titans on Friday night, but the Patriots have not yet announced whether he will dress for that matchup.