Ex-Patriots RB has interesting take on Ezekiel Elliott's standing in NFL

Ex-Patriots RB has interesting take on Ezekiel Elliott's standing in NFL originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The consensus around Ezekiel Elliott seems to be that he's no longer one of the very best running backs in the NFL, but is still capable of being a pretty productive player in the right role.

Elliott recently signed a one-year contract with the New England Patriots that could be worth up to $6 million if bonuses and incentives are hit.

He spent the first seven seasons of his career with the Dallas Cowboys before they released him back in March. Elliott rushed for a career-low 862 yards last season, even though he scored 12 touchdowns.

Former Patriots running back Sony Michel believes Elliott is still in the upper echelon of players at his position.

"Zeke, he’s one of the top backs in the league right now, still, to this day,” Michel told Kay Adams on FanDuel TV’s "Up & Adams" show.

"I have this argument all the time: He’s still probably a top-seven running back. You know, a lot of people give him a lot of flak for what happened the past couple years. ‘He’s not the same Zeke.’ This dude’s going still for a 1,000 yards and he’s still not the same? He probably dropped off 200 yards and people were saying he fell off or he’s not the same. He’s the same Zeke. Now, he’s probably hungrier than ever on a different team, fresh start.”

Elliott joins a running back depth chart in New England headlined by starter Rhamondre Stevenson and second-year players Pierre Strong Jr. and Kevin Harris. Elliott likely will be primarily used in short yardage and goal line situations -- two areas he's excelled in most of his career.

The 28-year-old running back has yet to appear in a game for the Patriots, but it's possible he makes his debut Friday night when New England wraps up its preseason schedule against the Tennessee Titans in Nashville.