The New England Patriots have been one of the most surprising teams in football this season. The team had a miserable 2024 season, finishing 4-13, but improved massively in 2025 and is preparing to play in the second round of the playoffs.
Ahead of the Divisional matchup with the Houston Texans, the Patriots have one open roster spot. On Friday, head coach Mike Vrabel revealed what “could happen” with that roster spot.
What Did Mike Vrabel Say About the Open Roster Spot Ahead of the Playoffs?
In the Wild Card round of the playoffs, the Patriots handled business against the Los Angeles Chargers, winning 16-3. It was the team’s first playoff victory since the 2018 season.
On Friday, Vrabel gave an update on some injured players. The team has one open roster spot, and the coach signaled that running back Terrell Jennings could be activated from injured reserve, according to Patriots insider Mike Reiss.
Mike Vrabel says moving CB Alex Austin (wrist) or RB Terrell Jennings (concussion protocol) from IR to the 53-man roster “could happen” … as the team has 1 open roster spot.
Vrabel says the Patriots will assess where they are Saturday, and proceed from there.
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) January 16, 2026
Jennings was added to the injured reserve back in December and has not played since the Week 13 matchup against the New York Giants. The second year running back has rushed for 73 yards and has one touchdown on the season.
Jennings is originally an undrafted free agent out of Florida A&M. The running back got in three games in 2024 and seven in 2025.
It definitely wouldn’t hurt to have another running back available, as Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson are currently the only healthy options. Against the Chargers, Stevenson had 53 rushing yards while Henderson had 27.
Patriots Looking to Advance to First Conference Championship Game Since 2018
The Patriots are preparing to take on the Texans on Sunday at 3:00 pm ET. The Texans throttled the Pittsburgh Steelers last weekend and now get to try out and take out Vrabel, who coached with the team from 2014 to 2017.
Vrabel has already had a fantastic first season with the Patriots. The team won 14 games in the regular season, its highest win total since 2016. The team is second in the league in PFSN’s Offense Impact ranking and 12th in PFSN’s Defense Impact Metric. The Patriots were tied with the Broncos and the Seahawks for the best record in the league.
If the Patriots take down the Texans, they will play the winner of the Broncos-Bills game for the AFC Championship.
