New England Patriots - NESN.com
The New England Patriots made some roster moves following their wild-card victory over the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday.
New England announced the release of running back D’Ernest Johnson from the active roster and offensive lineman Sebastian Gutierrez from the practice squad on Monday.
Johnson and Gutierrez being cut loose opens up space for some potential returns, with cornerback Alex Austin eligible to be activated off injured reserve and cornerback Miles Battle likely to be brought back to the practice squad — both of which would be important given the current status of cornerback Christian Gonzalez.
Gonzalez, who was named to the Pro Bowl in 2025, suffered an injury in the closing minutes of his club;s playoff victory over the weekend and remains in concussion protocol ahead of a divisional round matchup with either the four-seed Pittsburgh Steelers and five-seed Houston Texans.
The Patriots are left with only two running backs on the active roster: Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson. New England could elect to give itself some depth by elevating practice squad running back Elijah Mitchell, as there is no limit to elevations in the postseason.
