Former Texans DE Claims He Can Give Patriots Inside Intel

Before kicking off their divisional round action, the New England Patriots would make an eye-catching move to acquire former Houston Texans defensive end Darrell Taylor after being released to free agency right before the postseason, who had been with the team for the entire 2025 regular season before now landing in Foxboro on the practice squad for the weekend ahead.

Now, Taylor is preparing to suit up against his former team just a couple of weeks after his initial release, and per a recent interview from MassLive's Mark Daniels, he's confident he can provide just a bit of inside intel for the Patriots about what could be in store.

“Yeah, I feel like there’s stuff you can help with. You’ve been around. I’ve been there for freaking 10 months,” Taylor said of the Texans. via Mark Daniels of MassLive. “I would say, yeah, there’s stuff I can help them out with, but there’s only so much they let me know over there. I didn’t play like that anyway, but I made sure I paid attention."

"There’s definitely stuff that I can help them with, especially going against that offense. Just going against them in practice every day. So, I feel like I can offer a lot for the Patriots to help us win this game.”

Darrell Taylor Heads to Patriots at the Right Time

While Taylor wasn't on the field extensively for the Texans during his short tenure on the team, he was certainly still in the building pretty frequently––whether it be in meeting rooms or participating at practice, the now-former Houston edge rusher wasn't a stranger to the team he's now tasked to match up against for the divisional round.

Before being released from Houston, Taylor had played in four games this season after being off and on the field throughout due to injury, logging three tackles, eventually being placed on Injured Reserve after Week 9's game vs. the Denver Broncos.

Taylor, the 48th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, has played in 69 career games within his five years in the league, spending three seasons with the Seattle Seahawks and one with the Chicago Bears before eventually signing a one-year, $5.5 million deal with Houston earlier this offseason.

Aug 16, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans defensive end Darrell Taylor (52) watches the Carolina Panthers play against the Texans in the second half at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images | Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

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Taylor won't have all of the answers to the test for the Patriots on his former team, but it does add an interesting layer to the contest set to ensue later this weekend, as someone who at least knows their way around the Texans' defensive scheme and game planning on one of the NFL's top collective units from this season–– even if he might be a couple of weeks removed from his time there.

Taylor is currently on the New England practice squad with a chance to be quickly elevated to the 53-man roster before game time, which, if able to do so, would then give the former Texans edge rusher an even better opportunity to make an impact going against his prior squad. But at the very least, he could be in Mike Vrabel's ear throughout the week, providing some extra tips and tricks for what Houston might be throwing at him.

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