FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The New England Patriots announced that CB Alex Austin has been activated to the 53-man roster from injured reserve. He was placed on injured reserve on Nov. 25 after seeing action in the first 12 games of the season. In addition, the Patriots elevated RB D'Ernest Johnson and DL Leonard Taylor III to the active roster from the practice squad.
Johnson, 29, spent time on the practice squad and the 53-man roster during the regular season, seeing action in seven games and accumulating 13 rushing attempts for 25 yards and 5 kickoff returns for 128 yards. He saw action in the Wild Card game against the L.A. Chargers last week before being released on Jan. 12 and then signed to the practice squad on Jan. 13. Johnson is in his seventh NFL season after spending time with the Cleveland Browns (2019-22), Jacksonville Jaguars (2023-24), Baltimore Ravens (2025) and the Arizona Cardinals (2025). The 5-foot-11, 205-pounder, originally entered the NFL as a rookie free agent with Cleveland out of South Florida in 2019 and played with the Browns through the 2022 season. He signed with Jacksonville as an unrestricted free agent in 2023 and then with the Baltimore Ravens in 2025. Johnson spent time on the Ravens and Cardinals practice squads earlier this season.
Taylor, 23, was elevated for three games during the regular season and for the Wild Card game last week against the L.A. Chargers. He finished with 9 total tackles in the regular season and played a reserve in the postseason game but did not register any tackles. Taylor was signed by New England to the practice squad on Oct. 16, 2025. He originally entered the NFL as a rookie free agent with the New York Jets out of Miami (Fla.) in 2024. The 6-foot-3, 305-pounder, has played in 19 NFL games and has 35 total tackles, 1½ sacks and 2 passes defensed. He was released by the Jets on Oct. 14, 2025, after seeing action in two games in 2025.
