The Patriots are readying for a divisional round playoff matchup vs. the Texans and have made some final tweaks to the roster ahead of Sunday's 3 p.m. ET game at Gillette Stadium.
On Saturday, New England activated CB Alex Austin from injured reserve and elevated RB D'Ernest Johnson and DT Leonard Taylor III from the practice squad for Sunday's contest. Austin has not played since injuring his wrist in the Patriots Week 12 win over the Bengals. New England had an open roster spot after releasing Johnson from the 53-man roster earlier this week and Johnson was elevated after re-signing with New England's practice squad.
Starting with Austin, the cornerback was mostly playing on special teams before his injury. The third-year pro hadn't played a snap on defense since Week 4 prior to his injury but was a regular contributor in the kicking game. Austin played 39.1% of the special teams snaps this season and was featured on four different special teams units. Defensively, Austin was the Pats fifth cornerback on the depth chart, as CB Charles Woods had elevated to the top backup at outside corner behind Pro Bowler Christian Gonzalez, Carlton Davis III, and NCB Marcus Jones.
Although he was in the concussion protocol during the week, Gonzalez cleared the protocol and was removed from the team's final injury report, so he's good to go. From this perspective, activating Austin with an open roster spot is more about adding a quality depth player and special-teamer to the active roster, not an indication that Gonzalez's status is in any doubt.
Along the defensive line, Taylor was elevated for the fifth time since joining the team, with practice-squad elevations resetting to an unlimited amount for the postseason. Taylor has played a rotational role on the interior defensive line, logging 22 snaps in the Wild Card win over the Chargers. Taylor has done some good dirty work in the trenches, logging a run stuff vs. LA. The Pats are also hoping to get NT Khyiris Tonga (foot) back from a multi-week absence, with Tonga not carrying an injury designation this week.
The Texans rushing attack has found some success in recent weeks with rookie RB Woody Marks as the lead back. Houston ran for 164 rushing yards against the Steelers in the Wild Card round and Marks had 112 rushing yards on 19 carries. The Texans major in downhill runs such as duo and inside zone, where there are combinations or double-team blocks at the point of attack, so getting as much beef on the defensive line will help slow down Houston's run game.
Speaking of running back, the Patriots are elevating veteran RB D'Ernest Johnson to likely serve in the same role he has in recent weeks. New England released Johnson from the 53-man roster earlier this week, but with unlimited elevations in the playoffs, he was re-signed to the practice squad and will likely be active on Sunday. Johnson didn't log any snaps on offense as the third running back, with all of those going to Rhamondre Stevenson and rookie TreVeyon Henderson, but he has been returning kickoffs along with WR Efton Chism III.
New England didn't activate RB Terrell Jennings (concussion) from injured reserve. Jennings was officially listed as questionable after returning to practice and appeared to make a positive step when he shed his red non-contact jersey by the end of the practice week. However, Johnson will get the nod with Jennings remaining on injured reserve.
Lastly, the Patriots did not elevate any edge rushers from the practice squad, such as newcomer Darrell Taylor, despite listing captain Harold Landry III (knee) as questionable, a good sign for Landry's availability. Rookie LB Bradyn Swinson was a healthy inactive in the first round of the playoffs, so he could be active as insurance, while New England also has edge rushers Anfernee Jennings and Elijah Ponder to rotate with Landry at left defensive end. With five edge rushers on the active roster, the Patriots have enough EDGE depth on the 53-man roster to step in for Landry if needed.
The Patriots now have 55 players available for Sunday's game, so they'll need to declare seven players inactive. With Tonga hopefully returning, it'll be interesting to see which players are healthy inactives to get down to the required 48-player game day roster limit. The Patriots will host the Texans with kickoff at 3 p.m. ET at Gillette Stadium on Sunday.
