Patriots add running back depth with roster elevation for Falcons

The Patriots are quickly calling up their newest running back addition in time for Sunday's game against the Atlanta Falcons.

New England announced Saturday afternoon that D'Ernest Johnson has been elevated from the practice squad to the active roster, marking its only player elevation for Week 9. Johnson signed with the Patriots practice squad Wednesday, as the team continues to work through a spate of injuries at the running back position. Most recently, Rhamondre Stevenson has already been ruled out for Sunday after missing the entire week of practice with a toe injury. The Pats have been retooling their RB room since Antonio Gibson was knocked out for the season with a torn ACL after Week 6 in New Orleans.

Johnson joins a running back room that includes rookie back TreVeyon Henderson and second-year pro Terrell Jennings, who recently signed to the 53-man roster after the Patriots used up their two practice squad elevations on him. Henderson has averaged 8.6 touches over the first eight games of his career, while reaching double digits four times. He's on track to get his first career start against Atlanta, with Stevenson out. Jennings, meanwhile, has played 14 offensive snaps over the past two weeks, and figures to get a share of the carries Sunday.

The Patriots will be the third team Johnson has spent time with in 2025 alone. Johnson most recently saw the field in Week 7 as a practice squad elevation for the Arizona Cardinals, playing 14 offensive snaps and rushing one time for no gain. He played in the preseason for the Baltimore Ravens before being cut and signing with their practice squad, then being released in late September. The Cardinals released Johnson from their practice squad Tuesday, so he was unemployed for less than 24 hours before joining the Patriots.

Johnson has averaged 2.8 touches per game in 96 career NFL contests. Since he just got here, he's a long shot to see the field much on offense against the Falcons. The role he has a chance to fill immediately is kick returner, as he's amassed 33 kick returns over his seven seasons. It's worth noting that Johnson last returned a kick in the regular season in 2023 for the Jaguars, before the NFL overhauled kickoffs, but he did return one dynamic kickoff for 22 yards in the 2025 preseason.