Ever since Antonio Gibson suffered a season-ending injury, the New England Patriots have gone week-to-week with their third running back spot. Terrell Jennings had been elevated from the practice squad the last three weeks, but last week ran out of elevations for the season.
In order to keep Jennings in that spot, the Patriots signed him to the active roster on Wednesday. Head coach Mike Vrabel had hinted at that move earlier in the week.
Jennings, 24, signed with the Patriots as a UDFA out of Florida A&M last year and spent his rookie season on the practice squad. He appeared in three games as a practice squad elevation, carrying the ball 13 times for 33 yards.
This past summer Jennings was waived during final roster cuts than re-signed to the practice squad. In his first three games this year he had seven carries for 33 yards.
The Patriots had an open spot to sign Jennings after making a pair of trades on Tuesday night. They’ve now filled both roster spots, following the reported signing of safety John Saunders Jr. off the Dolphins practice squad.
To fill Jennings’ spot on the practice squad the Patriots brought in another running back. They signed veteran D’Ernest Johnson, who was released off the Arizona Cardinals’ practice squad on Tuesday, and quickly agreed to join the Patriots.
Johnson, 29, wasn’t drafted out of USF in 2018. In 2019 he played for the Orlando Apollos of the AAF, and his performance put him on NFL teams’ radar. He’s since played for the Cleveland Browns and Jacksonville Jaguars, and had a stint on the Baltimore Ravens’ practice squad earlier this year before joining the Cardinals.
In total Johnson has appeared in 96 NFL games, with 215 carries for 989 yards and three touchdowns. He’s also caught 53 passes for 465 yards.
With this signing the Patriots have now added three running backs to their practice squad this week. The team signed Rushawn Baker and Jonathan Ward on Tuesday.
The Patriots’ active roster and practice squad are both now once again full.
