It didn't take long, but New England Patriots fans have already overreacted to Ezekiel Elliott's weight on his first day of training camp.
To Ezekiel Elliott's credit, he's done a decent job staying in football shape this offseason despite taking until mid-August to sign with a new team. On Monday, Elliott took his talents to New England, where he will split carries with Rhamondre Stevenson and largely serve as a goal-line and short-yardage back. There is plenty of potential for him to thrive in this Patriots offense.
However, some Pats fans used Wednesday's camp appearance as an opportunity to pile on a familiar critique of Elliott — that he is not in shape. This, of course, can be quickly disproven. But it didn't stop New England fans from trying.
It should be noted that Elliott is listed at 225 pounds, which is his natural playing weight.
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Elliott rushed for 879 yards and 12 touchdowns last season while eventually relinquishing his starting role to Tony Pollard. In New England, he'll be asked to carry the load in goal-line situations, as well as on third down. Elliott is a surprisingly-good blocking back in passing situations. He's earned his reps.
"I spent time with him last night and on the trip to [go over] terminology and plays and protections, things like that," Belichick said. "We'll work him in there when he's ready and see how that goes."
As for his weight, there's really nothing to be concerned about here. If anything, the video presents a bad angle. Elliott is listed at 225 pounds, which makes him near league average for a player at his position and of his caliber.
If we know anything about Zeke, it's that he's a professional. He'll show up ready to for Week 1, no matter what he looks like now.
