Minor NFL Transactions: 9/15/21
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)
Titans Promote K Randy Bullock
After bailing on kicker Michael Badgley yesterday, the Titans are turning to their expected contingency plan. The team has promoted kicker Randy Bullock from the practice squad.
Badgley got the first shot to replace Sam Ficken, but he struggled during Tennessee’s loss to the Cardinals on Sunday. The 26-year-old finished the game missing his lone field goal attempt and converting only one of his two extra point tries. As a result, the team decided to waive the former Chargers kicker.
So, in comes Bullock, who recently joined the organization’s practice squad. The veteran kicker spent the past four seasons with the Bengals, where he converted 84.9-percent of his field goal attempts and 95.4-percent of his extra point attempts. The 31-year-old has also had stops with the Texans, Jets, Giants, and Steelers. Bullock signed a one-year deal with the Lions this offseason, but he was cut by the team at the end of the preseason.
The team made another move on Tuesday, placing safety Amani Hooker on injured reserve. The defensive back suffered a foot injury during Sunday’s loss. The 23-year-old got into all 16 games for the Titans last season, collecting 51 tackles and four interceptions. He started Sunday’s game against Arizona, compiling five tackles and a surprise six-yard reception (on a fake punt).
Dolphins Place DL Raekwon Davis On IR
Raekwon Davis‘ knee injury will keep him off the field until at least October. The Dolphins placed the defensive tackle on injured reserve today, reports NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe (via Twitter).
Fortunately, the injury won’t knock Davis out for the season. The defensive lineman will be required to sit on IR for three weeks before he’s eligible to return.
The Alabama product was a second-round pick by the Dolphins in 2020, and the defensive lineman earned PFWA All-Rookie Team honors following a standout rookie campaign. Davis ultimately saw time in 16 games last season (12 starts), collecting 40 tackles, one tackle for loss, and one QB hit. He started Sunday’s win over the Patriots, but he only saw time in five snaps before suffering his injury.
With Davis sidelined, the Dolphins could turn to John Jenkins to pick up the slack. The 32-year-old signed with the Dolphins this past offseason.
NFLPA Recommends Reinstatement For WR Josh Gordon
Josh Gordon‘s quest to return to the NFL took a positive turn today. The NFLPA determined that the embattled wideout “successfully completed his NFL-monitored treatment program,” tweets ESPN’s Adam Schefter. As a result, the NFLPA has recommended to the NFL that Gordon be reinstated.
We heard back in July that Gordon had officially submitted his reinstatement letter to the league office and commissioner Roger Goodell, and the receiver was hoping to be in training camp with a new squad. Gordon still needs Goodell to sign off on that reinstatement letter, but that’d be one of the final steps to Gordon returning to the league. Per Schefter, the receiver is “ready to play and vaccinated,” so all he’d need after reinstatement is a contract offer.
Gordon was a first-team All-Pro in 2013 when he led the league in receiving yards with 1,646 in only 14 games, but things quickly unraveled after that. He’s been suspended numerous times, and last played in 2019 when he appeared in six games with New England and five with Seattle. Gordon’s most recent reinstatement was rescinded in February, making him once again suspended indefinitely. He was then released by the Seahawks in early March.
The NFL was reportedly giving the 30-year-old random drug tests for the past three months, and Gordon was “said to have passed all tests.” The NFLPA has corroborated that report, and now the league’s commissioner controls the fate of Gordon’s NFL future.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/14/21
Today’s practice squad moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Released: K Elliott Fry, WR Juwan Green, TE David Wells
Carolina Panthers
- Released: OL Mike Hortond
Dallas Cowboysmia
- Signed: WR Robert Foster, K Lirim Hajrullahu
- Placed on IR: CB Deante Burton, S Darian Thompson
Denver Broncos
- Signed: CB Rojesterman Farris, WR Rico Gafford
Houston Texans
- Signed: DB Grayland Arnold
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: OL Anthony Coyle
- Released: S Sean Davis
Kansas City Chiefs
- Released: LB Omari Cobb
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: CB Jamal Perry
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: T Caleb Benenoch, WR Kenny Stills (story)
- Released: DT Jaleel Johnson
New York Jets
- Signed: LB Noah Dawkins, OL Elijah Nkansah
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: C Harry Crider
- Placed on IR: OT Le’Raven Clark
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: LB Curtis Bolton, RB Kerryon Johnson (story)
- Released: WR Isaiah Zuber
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: TE Austin Fort, TE Tommy Hudson
Saints Add WR Kenny Stills To Practice Squad
Kenny Stills is heading back to New Orleans. The veteran wideout is signing with the Saints practice squad, reports NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo (via Twitter). Stills worked out for the team earlier today, and Garafolo notes that the receiver could be a “possible add to their active roster soon.”
The 2013 fifth-round pick spent the first two seasons of his career in New Orleans, including a 2014 campaign where he finished with 929 yards from scrimmage (a mark that still stands as a career high). Stills was traded to the Dolphins in 2015 and proceeded to spend four seasons in Miami, finishing with more than 640 receiving yards per season.
The 29-year-old spent that past two seasons with the Texans. After collecting 561 receiving yards in 2019, the veteran finished 2020 with only 144 yards in 10 games.
Stills joins a crowded receivers depth chart. Marquez Callaway, Deonte Harris, Ty Montgomery, Lil’Jordan Humphrey, and Chris Hogan are on the active roster, and Michael Thomas will take a spot once he returns from injury. The team also has Kevin White, Easop Winston, and rookie Kawaan Baker on their practice squad.
Texans Work Out WR Donte Moncrief
The Texans’ offense was rolling on Sunday, but the team is considering additions to their receivers corps. The Texans worked out veteran wideout Donte Moncrief today, reports Aaron Wilson (via Twitter).
Moncrief had one of the best seasons of his career in 2018, hauling in 48 catches for 668 yards and three touchdowns in 16 games (14 starts) for the Jaguars. Since that time, he’s only gotten into 14 games while collecting only 37 yards from scrimmage. This included a 2020 season with the Patriots where the wideout finished with only one catch in six games.
The 28-year-old wideout joined the Texans earlier this offseason but was cut by the team in July. Moncrief would still be hard pressed to make the roster, as the team is rostering six wideouts in Brandin Cooks, Chris Conley, Anthony Miller, Nico Collins, Danny Amendola, and Andre Roberts.
Moncrief wasn’t the only player to audition for the Texans. Per Wilson, the team also worked out safety Grayland Arnold, guard Jake Eldrenkamp, linebacker Sharif Finch, defensive end Josh Mauro, and defensive end Jason Strowbridge.
Injury Updates: Penny, Davenport, Taylor, Brown
Rashaad Penny has struggled to stay healthy during his brief NFL career, and the Seahawks running back suffered another injury on Sunday. Penny left the game early with a calf injury, and NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport tweets that the 25-year-old is expected to be “shut down for a few weeks” while he recovers. An IR stint could be a possibility for the running back.
Fortunately for the Seahawks, they’re rostering a handful of capable running backs behind Chris Carson, including DeeJay Dallas, Travis Homer and Alex Collins. Head coach Pete Carroll pointed to that depth when explaining why the team would be cautious during Penny’s recovery.
“He’s got a calf strain, so it’ll take us a bit to figure out what the return would be on that,” Carroll said (via the team’s website). “He ran really well when he ran the other night, so we’re going to miss him, it looks like this week, we won’t know. We’ll let you know how that goes. But Alex is ready to go, and both Homer and DeeJay, they’re ready to go too, so we’re in good shape. We had four running backs up this week, so we’re in pretty good shape at the position. Unfortunately, if it takes him a couple weeks, then we’ll figure out how to handle that.”
Penny, a 2018 first-round pick, appeared in only 13 games between the 2019 and 2020 seasons.
Some more injury notes from around the NFL:
- Saints defensive end Marcus Davenport will be sidelined while he recovers from a pectoral strain, per Rapoport on Twitter. The pass rusher is expected to miss some time but “should be back sooner rather than later.” Following a disappointing 2020 campaign, Davenport was hoping for a bounce-back season in 2021. He was already on his way, as he compiled three tackles, one sack, two tackles for loss, and one QB hit before falling to his injury.
- Texans defensive tackle Vincent Taylor suffered an ankle injury yesterday that will require surgery, according to Mark Berman of Fox26 in Houston (via Twitter). Taylor is expected to be sidelined for six weeks. Taylor signed a one-year contract with Houston this offseason, and he started Sunday’s game before suffering the injury. The 27-year-old got into a career-high 15 games for the Browns last season, finishing with 12 tackles.
- Patriots offensive tackle Trent Brown exited yesterday’s loss with a calf injury, but the offensive lineman is now just considered day-to-day, according to Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com. Brown re-joined the Patriots this offseason after having spent the past two seasons with the Raiders.
Raiders Sign S Ha Ha Clinton-Dix To Practice Squad
Ha Ha Clinton-Dix has found his next gig. After getting cut by the 49ers earlier this month, the veteran safety has signed with the Raiders practice squad.
Clinton-Dix found himself without much of a market during the 2020 offseason, but he ultimately got a one-year, $3.75MM deal from the Cowboys. He didn’t even make it to the regular season with his new club, and he remained unsigned for the entire campaign. The veteran had a handful of workouts this offseason before signing with San Francisco, but the 49ers sent him packing at the end of the preseason.
Still only 28, Clinton-Dix has more starting experience than most players on the market. The safety started 16 games as recently as 2019 with the Bears, when he finished with 78 tackles and a pair of interceptions. Clinton-Dix spent most of his career with the Packers, including a 2016 season where he collected 80 tackles and five interceptions en route to a Pro Bowl appearance.
The veteran will now sit on the Raiders practice squad, but he could find himself on the active roster if one of the team’s current options suffer an injury.
49ers Finalizing Deal With CB Dre Kirkpatrick
Following cornerback Jason Verrett‘s season-ending injury, the 49ers have brought in some reinforcement at the position. The 49ers are finalizing a deal with free agent cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick, reports NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport (via Twitter).
[RELATED: 49ers Fear Torn ACL For Jason Verrett]
Kirkpatrick has flirted with teams throughout the offseason, previously auditioning for the Saints, Patriots, and Texans. He also worked out for the 49ers recently, and that ended up turning into a contract. The 31-year-old saw time in 14 games (11 starts) for the Cardinals in 2020, finishing with 56 tackles, seven passes defended, and three interceptions. The longtime Bengals starter has totaled 358 tackles, three sacks, 72 passes defensed, and 13 interceptions across nine NFL seasons.
Verrett had a standout season for the 49ers in 2020, and the team brought him back on a one-year deal. Unfortunately, the veteran suffered an ACL tear during yesterday’s victory, ending his season after only one game. The team has already had to shuffle around their cornerbacks corps; the team needed rookie Deommodore Lenoir to fill in for Emmanuel Moseley, and they previously added Josh Norman. Before signing Kirkpatrick, head coach Kyle Shanahan seemed to imply that the team could look for some extra depth at the position.
“With that being the case, I feel we got enough guys in our building,” Shanahan said (via Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area). “But that’s something you always got to look to see if there’s anyway you can improve. You always do that.”