The New England Patriots had a fun Sunday night, picking up a playoff-opening win over the Los Angeles Chargers.
On Monday, they started maneuvering their roster around to get ready for a Divisional Round matchup with the winner of the Steelers-Texans game.
One of the roster moves: They released RB D'Ernest Johnson.
Johnson has played in seven games with the Pats this season, running 13 times for 25 yards and also seeing work on special teams.
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The hope for the Patriots, according to The Athletic's Mike Reiss, is that Johnson clears waivers. If that happens, the Patriots can sign him onto the practice squad. From the practice squad, he could be elevated back to the active roster for gameday.
The reason the Patriots needed to clear a roster spot is that cornerback Alex Austin was due to come off Injured Reserve and move onto the 53-man roster. Johnson's space was the most easily cleared, in the sense that New England likely isn't too concerned that another team will swipe him before they can get him back on the practice squad.
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The Patriots made the move while still not knowing who they'll play in the Divisional Round, but the Pats will have one advantage. Having won on Sunday, they'll have an extra day of rest relative to the winner of Monday night's Pittsburgh-Houston game.
In the meantime, New England will continue to get its pieces in order for what it is hoping isn't just one more round but still a few beyond that.
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