The New England Patriots made one final roster change ahead of their showdown with the Buffalo Bills on Sunday at Gillette Stadium. On Saturday afternoon, the team announced running back Terrell Jennings has been placed on IR, while running back D’Ernest Johnson has been signed to the active roster from the practice squad.
Jennings has been used as the Patriots’ third running back and in a special teams role since Antonio Gibson tore his ACL in the first matchup of the year against the Bills. Jennings suffered a concussion in the Patriots’ most recent game against the New York Giants, and did not practice this week. He now has to miss at least four games, but can return for the playoffs.
Johnson has already appeared in three games for the Patriots this year when the team was dealing with running back injuries last month, playing in a limited role. He was out of practice squad elevations, meaning the Patriots needed to add him to the active roster for him to be eligible to play on Sunday.
In addition to their running back moves, the Patriots also elevated defensive tackle Leonard Taylor III from the practice squad for this game. This will be Taylor’s first game for the Patriots this year, but he did appear in 14 games last year and two this year for the New York Jets. Taylor was released by the Jets in October, with the Patriots signing him to the practice squad two days later.
The Bills are elevating two players from the practice squad for this game, the team announced on Saturday. Defensive lineman Andre Jones Jr. and cornerback Dane Jackson will both dress for this one.