Call for Backup: 3 things to know about Damaris Johnson

With the New England Patriots spread quite thin due to injuries, they brought in Damaris Johnson to shore up receiving depth.

Johnson, a slot receiver, will be replacing Chris Harper, who was cut following a significant muffed punt in Sunday's loss to the Denver Broncos. Johnson's not exactly a name known across the NFL, so here are three points to know about him:

• With the Houston Texans in 2014, 85.8 percent of the snaps that he played had him inside. Subsequently, he caught 23 passes for 291 yards and one touchdown.
• Johnson's skills aren't limited to working as an inside receiver. He can also return kickoffs and punts -- his most notable of which came in his rookie year with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2012, where he returned a 98-yard punt for a touchdown against the Dallas Cowboys. 
• Johnson has spent his first two seasons (2012 and 2013) with the Eagles, and last season with the Houston Texans under former Pats offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien. He has caught 52 passes for 601 yards and two touchdowns in his career -- numbers that may not increase too much as a Patriot. Nonetheless, he will provide valuable depth as a slot receiver. 

For more on Johnson, check out NESN's through and in-depth report. Johnson will be provided a unique opportunity, as his first game as a Patriot will be against the very team that dismissed him just prior to the 2014 season.  How he's utilized in that opportunity remains to be seen.

Follow Rob Riches on Twitter @Riches61