Patriots activate cornerback off IR for Divisional Round

The New England Patriots began this week by opening up a roster spot. To wrap up their final day of prep before their Divisional Round matchup with the Houston Texans they filled that spot, activating cornerback Alex Austin off IR.

Austin, 24, has been out since Week 13 with a wrist injury. He returned to practice leading up to Week 18, giving him three full weeks of practice (including this week) ahead of his return.

Prior to getting hurt Austin played in 12 games for the Patriots this season. He played a rotational cornerback role early in the season but ended up in an exclusive special teams role starting in October when Christian Gonzalez returned from a hamstring injury. In total he's recorded 13 tackles and a pass breakup this year.

This is Austin's third year with the Patriots. He joined the team as a rookie midway through the 2023 season.

In addition to announcing Austin's return, the Patriots also announced their practice squad elevations for Sunday. They are running back D'Ernest Johnson and defensive tackle Leonard Taylor III.

Johnson was the player released by the Patriots earlier in the week to open the roster spot, and was re-signed to the practice squad the next day. He's been with the Patriots since midway through the season as the team's starting kick returner and depth running back.

Taylor joined the Patriots' practice squad in mid-October. He was elevated for the maximum of three games during the regular season, and for last week's Wild Card win over the Los Angeles Chargers. Taylor played 22 snaps on defense in that game.