The New England Patriots can’t seem to catch a break when it comes to their running back room, as they continue to manage injuries to the position. It started in Week 5 after Anontio Gibson went on IR and then again in Week 8 when Rhamondre Stevenson missed three weeks with a toe injury. Now the Pats are going to be without Terrell Jennings for the rest of the regular season due to a concussion after he was put on IR on Saturday afternoon, as reported by Ian Rapoport.
The Patriots have made transactions to address the running back position all season long to add depth to that room, but they keep getting injured. Just a few weeks ago, New England signed veteran Craig Reynolds to the practice squad, but he’s also been placed on the practice squad IR. The only running back on the entire roster that hasn’t missed a game this season is rookie TreVeyon Henderson, as he is the team leader in scrimmage yards this season.
Although Henderson and Stevenson have handled the running back duties for most of the season, only having two on the roster isn’t the most ideal situation to be in. There is one more running back on the practice squad that the Patriots can easily move to the 53-man roster to fill the role of a depth running back by signing veteran D’Ernest Johnson to the 53-man roster.
Patriots Likely To Sign D’Ernest Johnson To Roster
During his Friday press conference, head coach Mike Vrabel said that they’ll have to figure things out from a roster perspective so that Johnson can be on the roster, as he is out of available call-ups from the practice squad.
“Yeah, D’Ernest [Johnson], will you know, probably get to the game and help us. We’ll have to figure some things out now and this afternoon or tomorrow from the roster.”
At the time of the interview, Vrabel hadn’t made any roster decisions yet, other than Jennings not being available for the game. Now that Jennings is on IR, it opens up an available roster spot for the team to fill as needed. It seems like Johnson would be the obvious and logical choice.
The third running back for the Patriots has held special teams roles, primarily as the kick returner, but also on the kickoff team. Although Johnson has experience as a kick returner, the Patriots might be better off keeping their rookie wide receiver duo of Kyle Williams and Efton Chism as the returners to avoid another potential injury to the position as they near the playoffs.
On the other hand, the Patriots would probably feel more comfortable having at least one veteran back there to return kicks. Johnson could fill that role for the Pats moving forward this season.
The Patriots used Johnson from Weeks 9-11 this season. He had four rushing attempts for six yards in that span. He also had nine special teams snaps, none of which were as a returner.
Should he impress in whatever role he is asked to take on this Sunday, Johnson could be a great addition to the roster to support Henderson and Stevenson moving forward for the rest of this season.