After advancing to the AFC Divisional Round, the New England Patriots are getting their roster in order ahead of their date with the Houston Texans.
As is the case with any team every week throughout the regular season, that includes acquiring players on waivers, elevating players from the practice squad, releasing players, etc. But one of the moves the Patriots made on Thursday was certainly intriguing and will carry some storyline weight heading into their playoff game.
Mike Vrabel and the Patriots Acquire Ex-Texans DL
The Patriots essentially swapped players on their practice squad on Thursday. They signed defensive lineman Darrell Taylor and released running back Elijah Mitchell as the corresponding move.
Why does this matter? Taylor signed with the Texans this past offseason, but missed the majority of the regular season with an ankle injury.
The team released him on Monday, and it didn’t take long for head coach Mike Vrabel to swoop in and potentially provide the Patriots with some intel ahead of their clash with Houston.
“This happens from time to time, and I firmly believe Mike Vrabel signed him in order to pick his brain and get any knowledge he can from Taylor about the Texans,” said Ross Tucker on his podcast.
“I firmly believe that Mike Vrabel signed him in order to pick his brain…”
“This just makes the Texans have to change their front seven check code words, which is annoying at a minimum…”@RossTuckerNFL explains the impact of the Patriots signing Texans DL Darrell Taylor to… pic.twitter.com/8IBc1DGPi5
— Ross Tucker Podcast (@RossTuckerPod) January 15, 2026
It’s anyone’s guess whether Taylor will be elevated from the practice squad against his former team. Still, if nothing else, it’ll force the Texans to adjust the calls and verbiage for their defensive front, which they had grown accustomed to all season.
The stunts and twists the Texans’ tenacious pass rush has weaponized in 2025 may not be as effective if the Patriots know they’re coming.
“Sometimes, it’s as simple as, ‘You, you, you,’ or, ‘Me, me, me.’ There are other words they use; they have front-seven checks that they’ll make,” Tucker said.
“The Texans know this, so this just makes the Texans have to change their code words, which is really just annoying. It’s not that big of a deal, but the Texans have to change it now; they can’t just go with what they’ve been going with because Taylor knows it and he’s going to tell it to the Patriots.”
A former second-round pick of the Seattle Seahawks, who are also hosting a playoff game this weekend as the NFC’s No. 1 seed, Taylor spent the first four years of his career there before being traded to the Chicago Bears in the summer of 2024.
Like the Seahawks, the Bears are also hosting a playoff game this weekend after beating the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Wild Card round.
Taylor has played in 69 games throughout his career and logged 24.5 sacks, 126 tackles, and 25 tackles for a loss. He’s played a lot of productive football, so it could just be a coincidence that the Patriots brought him aboard this week of all weeks.
