Pats Pulpit
Darrell Taylor will go from the No. 5 seed to the No. 2 seed in the AFC.
The New England Patriots have added the former Houston Texans defensive end to the practice squad, as first reported Wednesday by NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport.
Taylor, 28, cleared waivers and became a free agent the afternoon prior. Ahead is the chance to prepare for his previous club in the divisional round of the playoffs.
Selected in the second round of the 2020 NFL draft at No. 48 overall, Taylor stands 69 games into his run off the edges. The 6-foot-4, 255-pound Tennessee Volunteers product made previous stops with the Seattle Seahawks and Chicago Bears before joining executive vice president and general manager Nick Caserio’s roster in March.
An ankle injury limited Taylor to four appearances during his lone regular season in the AFC South. Placed on injured reserve in November and activated in January, he was waived from the 53 prior to Monday night’s 30-6 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in the wild card.
Taylor’s career has spanned 126 tackles and 24.5 sacks, including a high of 9.5 sacks in 2022, through 1,960 snaps on defense and 326 snaps on special teams. The 13-game starter has also had a hand in seven forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and five passes defensed.
“Well, we had conversations with him in free agency,” Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel told reporters during his Wednesday press conference. “Ended up going somewhere else. And then, when he became available, we got together and had a conversation and were able to bring him in.”
A corresponding move will follow to make room on the practice squad in Foxborough after the recent signings of running back D’Ernest Johnson, wide receiver Trent Sherfield Sr., offensive tackle Lorenz Metz and cornerback Miles Battle.
Sunday’s kickoff between New England and Houston is set for 3 p.m. ET at Gillette Stadium.
