The New England Patriots had contracts for eight practice squad players expire on Tuesday, including veteran running back D'Ernest Johnson.
Johnson spent most of the season on the practice squad, but did see some game action for the Patriots this season. He was elevated from the practice squad multiple times, but he was also released and re-signed at one point. He did play in all four playoff games for the Patriots this season.
Johnson had four kick returns for 103 yards in the Super Bowl. He had just 13 carries in the regular season for a total of 25 yards. As the other players whose contracts had expired, he was not retained on a futures contract.
Even though he did not fill up the box score, Johnson ended up being a pretty significant piece for the Patriots in terms of depth. With Antonio Gibson missing most of the season, Johnson ended up becoming the Patriots' third running back, protecting in case Rhamondre Stevenson or TreVeyon Henderson got hurt.
The Patriots did not need him to step into a prominent role. However, he has shown earlier in his career that he can be an effective running back in the NFL. He has played in 103 career games and has 1,014 career rushing yards. His best season came in 2021 with the Cleveland Browns.
Johnson had 534 yards and three touchdowns that season on 100 carries. 235 of those yards came after contact. He will be going into his eighth season, but is still searching for an opportunity to have a consistent role in an offense.
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