Today’s taxi squad moves:
Detroit Lions
- Signed: OL Tommy Kraemer
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: FB Adam Prentice
The Ravens are promoting running back Devonta Freeman to the 53-man roster (Twitter link via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com). Freeman, who joined the practice squad last week, will be eligible to play against the Chiefs on Sunday night.
Freeman is far removed from his best work at this point, but the Ravens will hope for the best as RB room has been decimated by injuries. Freeman, of course, has been derailed by injuries of his own. The former Falcons star missed 14 games due to knee and groin ailments in 2018. In 2019, he managed just 3.6 yards per tote. Then, last year, an ankle injury limited him to five games with the Giants. His final line in blue: 54 carries, 172 yards, and a 3.2 ypc.
The two-time Pro Bowler will at least have an opportunity to turn back the clock. The Ravens’ once-stacked RB group is now without J.K. Dobbins (ACL tear), Gus Edwards (ACL tear), and Justice Hill (Achilles tear). Freeman will likely operate as their No. 3 RB this week behind UDFA Ty’Son Williams and fellow vet Latavius Murray.
The Browns will audition Reuben Foster on Friday, according to a source who spoke with Kimberley A. Martin of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Foster probably won’t be signed straight away, but he could be a candidate for the roster after Sunday’s game against the Texans. 
[RELATED: Mayfield, Browns Haven’t Had “Substantive Extension Talks”]
Foster has been making the rounds recently. He worked out for the Jaguars and Jets earlier this month but left both meetings without a deal.
The Browns rolled the dice on defensive tackle Malik McDowell earlier this year and the (very) early returns are promising. McDowell played on 45 of team’s 65 snaps against the Chiefs, en route to an 83.3 grade, the highest of any Cleveland defender. Despite all of his off-the-field issues, Foster could offer similar upside.
Foster has hardly been seen since he was released by the Niners three years ago. Washington shocked the world by claiming him off of waivers, but never saw the field in D.C. Foster suffered an ACL tear in 2019, further pushing his career off course. He also spent 2020 on IR. Between the suspensions and injuries, the 27-year-old has played just 16 total games as a pro.
On this date in 2019, Sean Payton got a significant pay bump and commitment from the New Orleans Saints. On September 15, 2019, the head coach inked a new five-year deal with the organization.
Payton, a former QB-turned-coach, spent a few years as Giants offensive coordinator and Cowboys assistant head coach before securing the head coaching job in New Orleans in 2006. Payton’s first three years at the helm left a bit to be desired; the Saints had only one playoff appearance and went 25-23 between the three campaigns. However, the Saints finally broke through in 2009, winning 13 games en route to a Super Bowl championship.
The Saints remained a contender through 2013 (although Payton wasn’t with them in 2012 thanks to a suspension). While the team underwhelmed and went 7-9 each season between 2014 and 2016, Payton and the team managed to rehabilitate their image and rejoin the class of the NFC. The Saints won 24 games between 2017 and 2018, leading to Payton’s extension in 2019.
While Payton’s previous deal paid him around $9MM per season, this new extension was estimated to be worth up to a whopping $13MM annually, making the Saints leader one of the highest-paid head coaches in professional sports history. Payton’s deal was originally set to end following the 2020 season, but the extension (which ripped up the final year of the former deal) kept the head coach in New Orleans through at least 2024.
Perhaps more importantly, the extension kept Payton away from one of the Saints’ NFC foes. Since Payton joined the Saints, the Cowboys made multiple attempts to recruit the coach back to Dallas. Even then, the extension didn’t do much to stop them; the Cowboys reportedly reached out to Payton about their head coaching vacancy in 2019 (which VP Stephen Jones later denied).
While the Saints have been unable to return to the Super Bowl, Payton has still managed to keep the organization relevant. After inking his extension, the head coach guided his team to a 13-3 record in 2019 and a 12-4 record in 2020. There’s some uncertainty about the organization’s ability to compete in the post-Drew Brees era. However, thanks in part to the extension signed on this date in 2019, the Saints brass can rest easy knowing that they have one organizational pillar signed long term.
If D.J. Fluker hopes to see the field this season, his debut won’t come until at least early October. The free agent offensive lineman has been suspended for the first six weeks of the season, reports ESPN’s Field Yates (via Twitter).
This development doesn’t necessarily doom Fluker’s chances of catching on with a team. After all, he was already expected to miss at least a month while recovering from recent meniscus surgery, although it’s a bit telling that the Dolphins weren’t willing to keep him around while he got healthy.
After inking a one-year deal with the Dolphins during the offseason, Fluker was expected to provide the Dolphins with a veteran presence on their offensive line. However, he was placed on IR before the conclusion of the preseason, assuring he wouldn’t play for Miami in 2021. The team released him with an injury settlement shortly thereafter, allowing him to sign elsewhere.
Fluker, 30, spent last season with the Ravens, with whom he started eight games. Prior to that, Fluker spent two years as a Seahawks guard starter. He previously played with the Giants and Chargers, who chose him in the 2013 first round. His latest injury and suspension (couple with reports about his underwhelming conditioning) certainly doesn’t bode well for the 30-year-old. However, with 96 career regular season starts on his resume, the offensive lineman will surely find another gig once he’s healthy.
DeMarcus Lawrence is out indefinitely. The Cowboys defensive end suffered a broken foot at practice and will be sidelined for the foreseeable future, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport (via Twitter). The news was first reported by Joe Trahan of WFAA (on Twitter).
It’s uncertain if the injury will end Lawrence’s season, reports Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News (via Twitter). Doug Kyed of Pro Football Focus notes (on Twitter) that “there’s optimism it’s not season-ending,” while one source tells NFL Network’s Jane Slater that Lawrence will be sidelined for six to eight weeks (Twitter link). Rapoport has clarified that Lawrence broke the fifth-metatarsal in his foot and will need surgery, but if everything goes well, the pass rusher could be back by November.
This is a tough break for the Cowboys and their depleted pass rush, especially since Randy Gregory could also miss this weekend’s game after testing positive for COVID-19. Dallas was one of only two teams without a sack in Week 1, and their pass-rushing hopes will now depend on the likes of journeyman Tarell Basham.
Lawrence earned a pair of Pro Bowl nods in 2017 and 2018 after combining for 25 sacks between the two seasons. He hasn’t come close to matching that production since, but he was still productive in 2019 and 2020, collecting 11.5 sacks and 26 QB hits in 32 games (31 starts). The veteran started the offseason on PUP as he recovered from back surgery, but he still got back in time to appear in Week 1. He collected five tackles and one forced fumble in that contest.
It’s been a rough few days for the Cowboys after losing their season-opener to the Buccaneers. Lawrence fractured his foot, Gregory tested positive, right tackle La’el Collins was suspended, and receiver Michael Gallup was sidelined for at least the next month.
Kelvin Benjamin is currently sitting without a team, but the veteran was still slapped with a ban today. The NFL suspended the free agent wide receiver for the first two games of the season, according to ESPN’s Field Yates (via Twitter).
Based on the wording of the tweet, it sounds like Benjamin’s suspension will last only one more week. It’s uncertain why the former Panthers receiver was hit with the ban.
Benjamin joined up with the G-Men earlier this year in an effort to reboot his career as a tight end. At 6’5″ and 245 pounds, Benjamin has the bulk to play the position, but the Giants apparently thought otherwise. The 30-year-old was cut by the Giants in late July.
In his first pro season, Benjamin had 1,008 yards and nine touchdowns. After missing 2015 with a torn ACL, he had 941 yards and seven touchdowns in 2016. He was traded to the Bills midway through the 2017 season, and his career went downhill quickly after that. Benjamin got into 15 games with the Bills and Chiefs in 2018, but he finished with only 380 receiving yards. He hasn’t seen the field for an NFL game since the conclusion of that 2018 campaign.
Today’s minor NFL transactions:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: G Danny Isidora, DT Mike Pennel, OT Bryan Witzmann
Baltimore Ravens
- Promoted: DT Justin Ellis, S Anthony Levine
Denver Broncos
- Released from retired list: TE Jake Butt
- Released from suspended list: LB Jerrell Freeman
Houston Texans
- Signed off Saints practice squad: DT Jaleel Johnson
- Placed on IR: DT Vincent Taylor (story)
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: DT Damion Square
- Placed on IR: OL Denzelle Good (story), DT Gerald McCoy (story)
- Waived: CB Madre Harper
New Orleans Saints
- Promoted: K Aldrick Rosas
New York Jets
- Promoted: WR Isaiah Williams, S Jarrod Wilson
- Released from IR: CB/KR Corey Ballentine
Tennessee Titans
- Placed on IR: S Malik Hooker (story)
The 49ers have claimed Trenton Cannon off of waivers from the Ravens (Twitter link via Field Yates of ESPN.com). Cannon will help to fortify the Niners’ running back group in the wake of Raheem Mostert‘s season-ending injury. 
[RELATED: Raheem Mostert Out For Year]
The Niners also picked up Kerryon Johnson this week, adding him to their 16-man practice squad. Cannon might not be as big of a name, but he offers experience and special teams ability.
A sixth-round Jets pick in 2018, Cannon wound up with the Panthers last year and contributed mostly as a kick returner. He played on 40% of the Panthers’ special teams snaps in 2020. This all overlapped with Christian McCaffrey‘s injury, but Cannon took just ten handoffs in 14 games with Carolina, less than his 38 totes as a Jets rookie.
The Ravens turned to Cannon in the wake of their own backfield injury bug. They may look for additional RB help as Cannon moves on to his new club. He’ll have his chance to debut for SF on Sunday when they face the Eagles in Philadelphia.
The Seahawks have placed center Ethan Pocic on the injured reserve list. His spot will be filled by the promotion of linebacker Jon Rhattigan from the 16-man practice squad.
[RELATED: Raiders Poach OL Jordan Simmons From Seahawks]
Pocic left the season opener with a knee sprain, ending his day after just 14 snaps. Kyle Fuller, his mid-game replacement, figures to start in the middle when the Seahawks face the Titans this week.
A former second-round pick, Pocic has seen action at both guard and center as a pro. He opened the 2019 season as a Seattle starter but saw a back injury derail his season. The veteran blocker bounced back in 2020 and re-upped with the team to stay in 2021.
Last year, Pocic started in 14 games at center for a career high 932 snaps. He also notched an improved 62.4 grade from Pro Football Focus, the best of his career.