Judon makes his presence known in return from 'hold-in'
It appears the Patriots remain in the market for a veteran running back, but they could be narrowing their focus a little bit based on a new report.
According to Jeff Howe of The Athletic, New England remains "highly interested" in Ezekiel Elliott. At the same time, Howe reports the Patriots are "almost certainly" no longer pursuing Dalvin Cook, whom they initially had some "peripheral" interest in signing.
Howe says the New York Jets have "shown heavy interest" in Cook and have also been in on Elliott. The Dallas Cowboys are also "in the mix" to bring back Elliott and keep him in the only jersey he's ever worn during his seven-year NFL career.
Elliott, 28, is coming off the toughest season of his career. Appearing in 15 games, the three-time Pro Bowler registered career lows in carries (231), rushing yards (876), yards per carry (3.8), receptions (17) and receiving yards (92) as he ceded more work to Tony Pollard. Elliott did still have 12 touchdowns on the ground, though, which was tied for the second-best mark of his career.
Cook, who turns 28 this week, had a better 2022 season, rushing for 1,173 yards and eight touchdowns while also catching 39 passes for 295 yards and two touchdowns. It's unclear why the Patriots would no longer be interested in him, but it's possible they expect the price to end up higher than they're willing to go, and higher than Elliott's.
The Patriots appear to be looking for more certainty to complement Rhamondre Stevenson in the running game. Right now, Stevenson's backups are unproven second-year backs Kevin Harris and Pierre Strong Jr. and pass-catching specialist Ty Montgomery.
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