Hours after his signing became official, Ezekiel Elliott took the practice field with the New England Patriots in their joint first of two joint sessions with the Green Bay Packers on Wednesday, which impressed a pair of his new teammates.

Elliott took part in individual drills, receiving handoffs from Mac Jones and later catching passes from the Patriots' starting quarterback and undrafted free agent Malik Cunningham. The star running back didn't participate in team drills, but that didn't stop Jones from being impressed by his new teammate's will to get things going.

“Zeke’s awesome so far,” Jones said. “He already was jumping in there, getting some reps, so that was pretty cool to see fresh off a plane trying to come out here and compete. But yeah, he seems like a great fit. We really just want to take him under our wing. He’s a guy who has played a lot of football in the NFL, so we’re just trying to learn from him, too.”

Patriots coach Bill Belichick played coy when asked earlier in the day what kind of role Elliott would have with the Patriots, saying that he spent the flight over to Wisconsin speaking with the running back about learning the team's system and playbook.

Mac Jones also brought up the process of getting Elliott acclimated to the team, adding that he was part of those conversations, too.

“I think he just got here, you know? He was like in his pajamas, so we’re really just trying to get him some Patriots gear and make sure he’s good to go,” Jones shared. “He knows football. It's just the terminology’s a little different. I’m not worried about him. I think most importantly, the line is doing a really good job in the running game right now, so I know he sees that and he’s excited.

“I know him and Rhamondre [Stevenson] are going to be a great one-two punch, and the other guys, too. You can’t forget about the other guys in our room. It’s going to be good.”

Speaking of Stevenson, he's also excited about the move. He shared with reporters Wednesday that he actually met Elliott in 2021 through an agent, saying they've been “pretty close ever since.”

“That’s my guy,” the third-year pro told reporters.  … [I admire] the way he runs the ball, his determination, his relentlessness. He’s just going to give you all he’s got.”

And just like Jones, Stevenson also thinks Elliott is a solid fit out of the backfield.

“I feel like our games are going to complement each other very well,” Stevenson said.

Ezekiel Elliott will almost certainly play a backup role to Rhamondre Stevenson, but he'll likely see a good amount of playing time, too. Stevenson played 66 percent of the Patriots' offensive snaps last season, which is unusual for New England as it's the highest percentage of snaps played by a running back on the team since at least 2011.

So far, none of Stevenson's backups have impressed in camp or in the lone preseason game. Second-year running backs Pierre Strong Jr. and Kevin Harris are more unknowns, but neither provided any notable plays in the preseason game against the Houston Texans. In addition, Ty Montgomery is dealing with an injury, which could pave a way for Elliott to earn snaps on passing downs.