The New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks have both made last-minute roster additions ahead of Super Bowl LX in San Francisco, with Patriots elevating AFC Championship hero Leonard Taylor III
The New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks have both made several roster changes, less than 24 hours before Super Bowl LX gets underway. The Patriots promoted defensive lineman Leonard Taylor III and running back D’Ernest Johnson from the practice squad to the active roster.
The Seahawks countered by promoting a pair of practice-squad running backs, Cam Akers and Velus Jones Jr. Johnson has featured in all three of New England’s postseason matches, working exclusively as the kickoff returner. The 29-year-old veteran running back took four kickoffs for 106 yards.
Taylor’s promotion appeared highly likely after the former Miami standout became the Patriots’ match-winner in the AFC Championship encounter with the Denver Broncos. This came before Pat McAfee was left puzzled by San Francisco scenes after touching down for Super Bowl LX.
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As a severe snowstorm struck Empower Field at Mile High during the second half a fortnight ago, scoring became virtually impossible due to drastically reduced visibility and treacherous conditions. The Patriots managed to edge ahead 10-7 with a 23-yard field goal on the opening drive of the third quarter, which consumed nine minutes and 31 seconds of the clock.
That proved to be the final score of the match, thanks to a game-changing play by Taylor. With just under five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, Broncos kicker Will Lutz had an opportunity to level things from 45 yards out.
However, Taylor took to the air and managed to get his fingertips on the ball, marking his first career blocked kick. This moment served as a testament to the 23-year-old’s resilience following a challenging start to his NFL journey.
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Taylor joined the New York Jets in 2024 as an undrafted free agent but saw limited action in 14 appearances during his rookie year. After being left out of four of the first six games of the 2025 season, he was let go by the winless Jets.
The very next day, the Patriots snapped him up for their practice squad. He featured in three regular-season matches and then played in all three postseason games en route to Super Bowl LX, where the Patriots will take on the Seattle Seahawks.
“I went from a losing team to a Super Bowl team, so it’s pretty great,” Taylor expressed after the AFC Championship victory, as per Mass Live. “It’s pretty amazing, just knowing that all the hard work I put in has finally been noticed and seen.”
He continued: “It’s pretty wild leaving an organisation that was fighting every week to get to a win to now coming to a team that’s consistently winning. It’s pretty fun.”
Following Zach Charbonnet’s season-ending knee injury, which occurred in the NFC divisional-round triumph over the San Francisco 49ers, the Seahawks bolstered their backfield.
Charbonnet had been a key figure in Seattle’s running game, providing a powerful complement to Kenneth Walker III and posing a significant threat in the red zone.
