Ezekiel Elliott

Belichick shares first reaction to Elliott signing, what RB is working on

Elliott is in Green Bay and practicing with his new Patriots teammates.

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Ezekiel Elliott is wasting no time getting up to speed with his new team.

Elliott's one-year contract with the New England Patriots became official Wednesday morning, and the veteran running back is with the team in Green Bay for joint practices with the Packers outside Lambeau Field this week.

"Good to have Zeke. We had a good visit with him and I look forward to working with him," Patriots head coach Bill Belichick told reporters before Wednesday's practice.

"I've never coached Zeke before. I'm glad we have him. Spent time with him last night and on the trip to (go over) terminology and plays and protections. Things like that. So we'll work him in there when he's ready and see how it goes."

Here's the first look at Elliott in a Patriots practice jersey. He wore No. 28 for seven seasons with the Dallas Cowboys, but he's switching to No. 15 in New England. It's the number he wore at Ohio State.

Elliott participated in a walkthrough and some drills (taking handoffs, catching passes, etc.) during the early part of Wednesday's practice.

He is expected to slot in as the No. 2 on the running back depth chart behind starter Rhamondre Stevenson. Elliott should be able to help the Patriots in several areas, most notably goal line and short yardage scenarios. He's also a very good blocker on blitz pickup, and his pass-catching ability is pretty solid, too.

Elliott tallied a career-low 862 yards for the Cowboys last season, but he did find the end zone 12 times in 15 games.

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