The practice squad of the AFC’s No. 2 seed would be subject to renovations ahead of the divisional round against the Houston Texans.
The New England Patriots signed running back D’Ernest Johnson, wide receiver
Trent Sherfield Sr., offensive tackle Lorenz Metz and cornerback Miles Battle to the 17-man group on Tuesday, the organization announced.
Johnson, 29, cleared waivers after being let go the 53-man roster to begin the week. The 5-foot-11, 205-pound back is now a candidate to serve as a standard elevation for the fourth time since heading to Foxborough in October. He has appeared eight games in all, including the wild card, while totaling 25 rushing yards and 128 kickoff return yards. Undrafted in 2018, Johnson stands 106 combined games into his NFL career. His run has brought 228 carries for 1,014 yards, 53 catches for 467 yards, as well as three starts and three touchdowns in the regular season, By way of the Alliance of American Football’s Orlando Apollos, the South Florida product made previous stops with the Cleveland Browns, Jacksonville Jaguars, Baltimore Ravens and Arizona Cardinals.
Sherfield, 29, joins the Patriots’ wideout room as a veteran of 124 games in the regular season. A 14-game starter, he has caught 89 passes for 1,034 yards and six touchdowns since going undrafted in 2018. Sherfield has accrued 2,684 snaps on offense and 1,804 snaps on special teams through stints with the Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers, Miami Dolphins, Buffalo Bills, Minnesota Vikings and Denver Broncos. The 6-foot-1, 206-pound Vanderbilt alum’s journey in the league also includes seven playoff contests.
Metz, 26, checks in with an exemption through the NFL’s International Player Pathway, making him the 17th man on the scout team. Born in Bavaria, Germany, the 6-foot-9, 330-pound offensive tackle played collegiately at Cincinnati and entered the league as an undrafted rookie with the Chicago Bears in 2023. He went on to spend the 2024 and 2025 seasons on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ practice squad in the same capacity.
Battle, 25, had been released from New England’s practice squad entering the playoffs. The 6-foot-3, 197-pound cornerback now circles back a week later. He began the campaign on the practice squad before spending a month on the 53-man roster. His sophomore year has spanned five appearances and three tackles across 29 snaps on defense and 53 snaps on special teams. Originally signed by the Kansas City Chiefs as an undrafted free agent in 2024, the former transfer from Ole Miss to Utah made his NFL debut in last January’s finale.
To make room on the practice squad, wide receiver Brandon Smith and defensive tackle Fabien Lovett were released in corresponding moves.
Smith, 27, joined the Patriots’ practice squad on Christmas Eve. The 6-foot-1, 218-pound wideout entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent out of Iowa in 2021. After parts of two years on the Dallas Cowboys’ practice squad, he made multiple tours in the XFL with the DC Defenders. He then went from Arizona in 2023 to the New York Jets up into 2025, where he appeared in three games as a standard elevation.
Lovett, 25, headed to New England entering Labor Day weekend and re-signed with the practice squad in November. Originally entering the league as an undrafted free agent with Kansas City in 2024, the 6-foot-3, 316-pound defensive tackle out of Mississippi State and Florida State spent the entirety of his rookie year on the AFC West practice squad. He was retained on a futures contract following Super Bowl LIX.
Sunday’s kickoff at Gillette Stadium is set for 3 p.m. ET.
