Pats Pulpit
The New England Patriots will have a full 53-man roster on hand against the Houston Texans.
The organization announced the activation of cornerback Alex Austin from injured reserve on the eve of Sunday’s divisional round.
Austin, 24, went on injured reserve due to a wrist injury in November and saw his 21-day practice window open on New Year’s Eve. After spending two weeks as a limited participant, he upgraded to full following the wild card and did not carry a game designation.
Selected by the Buffalo Bills in the seventh round of the 2023 NFL draft at No. 252 overall, Austin was claimed off waivers by general manager Nick Caserio’s AFC South club following his rookie preseason. The 6-foot-1, 191-pound Oregon State product soon headed to Foxborough and has appeared in 26 games since then. Starting six in the secondary, his tenure includes 31 tackles and one interception across 589 snaps on defense and 220 snaps on special teams.
In additional movement, running back D’Ernest Johnson and defensive tackle Leonard Taylor III have been elevated from New England’s practice squad for Sunday’s matchup with Houston.
Johnson, 29, had been waived to open a spot on the active roster earlier in the week. The 5-foot-11, 205-pound running back rejoined the practice squad after going through the wire unclaimed. With his fourth standard call-up, he will continue to round out a gameday depth chart led by starter Rhamondre Stevenson and rookie TreVeyon Henderson.
Arriving in October, Johnson has made eight appearances in all for the Patriots, totaling 25 rushing yards and 128 kickoff return yards. Undrafted in 2018, the South Florida alum stands as a veteran of 106 combined NFL games. He has handled 228 carries for 1,014 yards, 53 catches for 467 yards, plus three starts and three touchdowns in the regular season. Previous stops came with the Alliance of American Football’s Orlando Apollos as well as the Cleveland Browns, Jacksonville Jaguars, Baltimore Ravens and Arizona Cardinals.
Taylor, 23, made his playoff debut last weekend with 22 defensive snaps before reverting to New England’s practice squad. The 6-foot-3, 305-pound defensive tackle served as a three-time elevation in the regular season after signing in October. Along the way, he’s had a hand in eight tackles and one quarterback hit as part of the interior rotation.
Entering the league with the New York Jets as an undrafted free agent out of the University of Miami in 2024, Taylor has recorded 35 tackles, 1.5 sacks and a pair of batted passes through 20 combined games.
With cornerback Christian Gonzalez clearing concussion protocol and running back Terrell Jennings not activated from injured reserve, outside linebacker Harold Landry III carries the AFC East champions’ lone questionable game status for Sunday.
Kickoff at Gillette Stadium is set for 3 p.m. ET.
