Elliott's addition highlights larger roster issue for Patriots

The New England Patriots reportedly added a player Monday who could play an important role in their offense this season.

That's a win for the Patriots. But it also begs the question: Why are they in the market for key contributors with two full weeks of training camp already behind them?

While newly-signed running back Ezekiel Elliott should boost an offense that already has higher expectations under new offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien, our Tom E. Curran believes Elliott's signing points to the team's flawed roster construction.

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"Signing Zeke Elliott is like seeing the AC repair man coming down your driveway in the middle of August," Curran said Tuesday night on NBC Sports Boston's Quick Slants. "I mean, you are psyched to see that guy because you're sweating bullets. But on the other hand, you could be a little bummed out that he has to be there in the first place. You want things to work and they didn't. And that's how I feel about Zeke Elliott."

As Curran explained, the Patriots wouldn't have needed to sign Elliott if they had better depth behind starter Rhamondre Stevenson -- and if either of their 2022 draft picks at running back, Kevin Harris or Pierre Strong, showed more promise.

"The Patriots are a team that drafted two running backs last year, that had a productive backup running back in Damien Harris," Curran continued. "And yet here they are in August after the perpetually injured Ty Montgomery got injured once again, and Kevin Harris and Pierre Strong added up to people you can't yet trust, and they have to go out and get Ezekiel Elliott.

"Again, there's a lot to like about Ezekiel Elliott and we'll get to some of the aspects of that, but they shouldn't be shopping for running backs in August."

Running back isn't the only tenuous position on the roster, either. The Patriots have shuffled their offensive line throughout training camp to account for the absences of starters like Mike Onwenu, Cole Strange and Trent Brown, while their tight end depth is being tested following Mike Gesicki's recent injury. Meanwhile, backup quarterback Bailey Zappe hasn't inspired much confidence so far this summer, opening the door for undrafted free agent and QB/wide receiver hybrid Malik Cunningham to potentially challenge for the job.

The upshot of all this? The Patriots' roster isn't exactly on stable footing entering the second week of the preseason.

"They shouldn't be sampling offensive linemen in August," Curran added. "They shouldn't be sweating bullets about tight ends in August. They shouldn't have a backup quarterback situation that has a guy who is transitioning to wide receiver (Cunningham), who in my opinion could now be threatening the backup quarterback (Zappe), who should be a heartbeat away from playing in the regular season for a playoff aspirant.

"In short, I'm seeing a Patriots team in an August scramble. Too many unanswered questions and too many question marks as you go into a season that has pivotal importance."

Check out Curran's full take in the video player above, and tune into Quick Slants every Tuesday at 6 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Boston.