Patriots Elevate Young Defender To Make Club Debut Against Bills

The New England Patriots added some reinforcements for their matchup with the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.

New England announced it signed running back D’Ernest Johnson to the active roster from the practice squad, placed running back Terrell Jennings on injured reserve and elevated defensive lineman Leonard Taylor III to the active roster from the practice squad on Saturday.

Johnson and Jennings’ moves were previously reported on Friday.

Taylor, 23, was signed to the practice squad on Oct. 16, which serves as his second stop after originally entering the league as a rookie free agent with the New York Jets in 2024. Taylor has played in 16 total games and has 27 tackles and 1.5 sacks — with two of those games coming prior to his release in 2025.

The Patriots could use some help on the defensive interior, as they’ll be without Milton Williams and have seen several veterans miss practice over the last couple of weeks — Christian Barmore, Harold Landry III and Khyiris Tonga.