New England Patriots - NESN.com
The New England Patriots will take on the Houston Texans on Sunday with a trip to the AFC Championship Game on the line.
After defeating the Los Angeles Chargers, the Patriots signed former Houston Texans defensive end Darrell Taylor to their practice squad. According to Ian Rapoport, he could be elevated for the upcoming game. However, the corresponding move to signing Taylor was releasing Elijah Mitchell on Wednesday.
Mitchell signed with the Patriots’ practice squad on Dec. 23. He did not appear in a game for the Patriots. He started the season with the Kansas City Chiefs, but played in just one game before getting released on Dec. 20. He scored one touchdown for the Chiefs in the preseason.
Mitchell is a veteran running back who has even played in a Super Bowl. He had two carries for eight yards in Super Bowl LVIII. He was originally a sixth-round draft pick of the San Francisco 49ers in 2021 and had 1,523 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns in three seasons with the team.
As a rookie, he had 963 rushing yards in 11 games, leading the 49ers in rushing yards. He had 1,100 scrimmage yards that season. That postseason, he had 169 rushing yards in three games. The following season, the 49ers traded for Christian McCaffrey, eating into Mitchell’s workload significantly.
In 2024, Mitchell suffered a hamstring injury and was placed on season-ending injured reserve before the season. The Patriots could bring him back to the practice squad, but they recently re-signed running back D’Ernest Johnson to the practice squad.
Mitchell was a solid piece to have stashed on the practice squad in case the Patriots’ running back room was hit with injuries.
