It’s not very often that teams in the middle of the preseason can add an impact free agent. But when you consider what is happening in the AFC East running back market, these are not normal times.
Early on Monday, the New England Patriots announced that they were signing former Cowboys star running back Ezekiel Elliott. Not to be outdone, a few hours later, the New York Jets announced that they had come to terms with former Vikings star running back Dalvin Cook.
It’s a four-team race in what may be the most competitive division in football, and two of the four offenses just got better.
AFC East News: Ezekiel Elliott’s Impact in New England
The Patriots have the longest odds of anyone in the AFC East, paying +800 to win the division. That didn’t change with the signing of Elliott, but the makeup of their backfield did change.
Head coach Bill Belichick likes third-year running back Rhamondre Stevenson, but they were very clear about their intent to add a veteran back to the mix. They flirted with Dalvin Cook and had camp visits with Leonard Fournette and Darrell Henderson. But in Elliott, they get someone who is especially good at finding the endzone.
Elliott has 80 career touchdowns, including 12 last year, and he has as many 50 catches in a season three times. As a third-down option and redzone target, Zeke is a great addition for the Patriots.
Back when Zeke became a free agent in March, the Patriots weren’t even in the top 10 favorites to sign him.
AFC East News: Jets All-In on 2023
After an offseason that saw the Jets completely remake their offense, they have added one final piece that could put them over the top. New York is high on second-year running back Breece Hall, but early in the season, he is still going to be slowed by last year’s knee injury.
The signing of Dalvin Cook gives the Jets cover for Hall in the short term and a terrific tandem of running backs for later in the season. There is no time like the present in New York. This is a team built to win now, and the signing of Cook for $8.6 million for one season is about winning a division and making a Super Bowl run.
New York is +270 to win the AFC East, which puts them second behind the Buffalo Bills. But they are -130 to make the playoffs. This kind of opportunity doesn’t come along often for the Jets, and Cook will help make sure they don’t waste it.
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