The Patriots are shaking up their active roster for their AFC divisional round matchup.
On Monday, the team released veteran running back D’Ernest Johnson from their 53-man roster and also released tackle Sebastian Gutierrez from the practice squad. They’ll head into their first practice of the week with multiple spots to fill. They they have some clear options.
The Patriots have two players on their injured reserve who are eligible to return – cornerback Alex Austin and running back Terrell Jennings.
Austin landed on the injured reserve after suffering a wrist injury in Week 12 against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Austin played in 12 games, making two starts, as one of the Patriots’ top backup cornerbacks. He made 13 tackles with a pass breakup. Austin played on defense for the first four weeks, but then was a core special teamer in the last eight games he played before his injury.
Austin has been practicing, but hasn’t been added to the active roster. The Patriots could look to add him now, with Christian Gonzalez’s status uncertain after suffering a concussion in the team’s wild-card win.
If the Patriots are looking to add a third running back to the roster, Jennings is the obvious choice.
The 24-year-old played in seven games this season and was the Patriots’ third running back after Antonio Gibson landed on the season-ending injured reserve. Jennings ran for 73 yards with a touchdown in seven games. He also returned two kickoffs for 59 yards.
Jennings landed on the injured reserve after suffering a concussion in Week 13 against the New York Giants. That’s when the Patriots signed Johnson off the practice squad. The veteran running back played in seven games this season, rushing for 25 yards. He also returned five kickoffs for 128 yards.
On the practice squad, the Patriots signed Gutierrez last week as the team was dealing with injuries to Morgan Moses (illness) and Thayer Munford (knee). Gutierrez replaced cornerback Myles Battle, who is a candidate to return to the Patriots’ scout team.