Patriots Obtain Running Back Depth In Trey Williams, Make Three Other Moves.

Robert Alvarez

8 years ago at 7:28 am ET

As reported by NESN’s Doug Kyed, The New England Patriots on Tuesday made four roster moves, most notably adding depth to the 53-man roster by claiming former Dallas Cowboys running back Trey Williams off waivers and signing free agent wide receiver Demaris Johnson.

Williams was first signed as an undrafted free agent by the Washington Redskins this past off season but only saw action in the preseason so far in 2015. According to Kyed, in his college career at Texas A&M, “Williams had 204 carries for 1,343 yards and 18 touchdowns in three seasons with the Aggies. He also had 38 receptions for 330 yards with one touchdown. He also could contribute on special teams for New England, as he had 70 kick returns for 1,684 yards at Texas A&M.”

The Patriots have had a void at running back since Dion Lewis was lost for the season with a torn ACL in early November and Williams could provide a boost to a running game that has struggled in recent weeks.

The Patriots claimed RB Trey Williams off waivers from the Cowboys, according to a source.

— Doug Kyed (@DougKyed) December 1, 2015

The New England Patriots also confirmed they had signed free agent wide receiver Demaris Johnson who according to Kyed, “spent the 2014 season as the Houston Texans’ slot receiver, catching 31 passes for 331 yards with one touchdown. He also had five carries for 19 yards, six kick returns for 136 yards and nine punt returns for 54 yards while playing under former Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien.”

Damaris Johnson is the type of gadget player who can work in the Patriots' system. Telling it took them this long to add him, though.

— Doug Kyed (@DougKyed) December 2, 2015

Lastly, the Patriots placed rookie defensive end Trey Flowers on injured reserve to make room for Williams while he was also dealing with nagging knee and shoulder injuries. Flowers was inactive for 10 of 11 games this season but saw action versus the New York Jets back on October 25th.

In addition to the three roster moves, the Patriots signed rookie receiver Austin Hill to the practice squad and worked out veteran defensive back Zack Bowman according to ESPN’s Mike Reiss.