NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/6/21
Today’s taxi squad moves:
Dallas Cowboys
- Released: DE Breeland Speaks
Houston Texans
- Signed: CB Cre’Von LeBlanc
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: QB James Morgan
New York Giants
- Signed: S Natrell Jamerson
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: WR Austin Mack, LB Curtis Robinson
- Released: WR Devin Funchess, LB Justin March
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: LB Tuzar Skipper
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/6/21
Today’s minor moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Waived: P Dustin Colquitt
Carolina Panthers
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: OL Trent Scott
Cleveland Browns
- Designated for return: LB Jacob Phillips
Las Vegas Raiders
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: RB Jalen Richard
Los Angeles Chargers
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: WR Keenan Allen
New York Jets
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: LB Blake Cashman
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Placed on IR: LS Zach Triner
Tennessee Titans
- Released: LB John Simon (story)
Raiders’ Kenyan Drake Done For Year
The season is over for Raiders running Kenyan Drake (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). After suffering an ankle fracture on Sunday, Drake will be shut down for the year and placed on the injured reserve list. 
Drake, the Raiders’ second-leading rusher behind starter Josh Jacobs, had to be carted off midway through the second quarter against Washington. WFT was leading 7-0 at the time and went on to win 17-15.
“I know he’s had significant injuries in the past,” said Jacobs (via ESPN.com). “So, I’m just praying for him right now and praying for his family. His whole family was here at the game.”
Drake’s year will end with 254 rushing yards, two touchdowns, and a solid 4.3 yards per carry average. He also added 29 grabs for 283 receiving yards and one TD through the air.
The Raiders may add another RB to join Jacobs and Peyton Barber, though Jalen Richard could be ready to return from the COVID-19 list soon. Down to 6-6 on the year, the Raiders are set for a must-win game against the Chiefs next week.
Panthers Fire OC Joe Brady
The Panthers have fired offensive coordinator Joe Brady, the team announced. Senior offensive assistant Jeff Nixon, along with the rest of the offensive coaching staff, will take over Brady’s duties for the remainder of the season.
Brady spent two seasons as an offensive assistant for the Saints from 2017-18 and truly made a name for himself as the passing game coordinator for LSU in the Tigers’ record-setting 2019 season that featured otherworldly performances from future first-round draft picks like quarterback Joe Burrow, running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire, and wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson. That afforded him the opportunity to join Matt Rhule‘s first staff in Carolina in 2020.
The Panthers finished in the bottom half of the league last season in terms of total offense, though subpar QB play and a three-game season from star running back Christian McCaffrey certainly played a role in that. NFL clubs were still high on Brady’s ability, as he received five interviews for head coaching positions in this year’s cycle. As Albert Breer of SI.com tweets, Brady interviewed well, and a number of execs involved in those interviews believed he was a lock for an HC gig in 2022.
Unfortunately, Carolina suffered more of the same problems this year. McCaffrey is now out for the season after having played seven games, and an injury to starting quarterback Sam Darnold also helped to derail the Panthers’ once-promising season. A four-game losing streak earlier this year led some to believe that Brady would be stripped of his play-calling duties, and while that did not happen, Brady is now out of a job completely.
This year, the Panthers have slipped to 28th in total offense, and Brady’s creative mind has not been enough to consistently overcome what opposing defensive coordinators have thrown at him. He is still only 32 years old, but his meteoric rise has come to an abrupt halt, and he may have to rebuild his stock back at the college level.
Rhule said, “I met with Joe this morning and informed him that I have decided to make a change. I’m very grateful to him for his time and effort in helping us get established over this past year and a half.”
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/5/21
We will keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Las Vegas Raiders
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: RB Jalen Richard
RB Trey Sermon Placed On IR
The 49ers will be without rookie running back Trey Sermon for at least the next three weeks. Sermon was knocked out of San Francisco’s win over the Vikings after suffering an ankle injury. After Sermon was carted off of the field, head coach Kyle Shanahan said he had suffered a bad ankle sprain.
Since being drafted in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft, Sermon has spent much of his rookie season as a special teams player. Early in the season, as San Francisco experienced injuries to it’s top three projected running backs – Raheem Mostert, Jeff Wilson, and Elijah Mitchell – Sermon was called upon to carry the load. As soon as Mitchell was available again, Sermon was relegated back to a mostly special teams role.
Sermon’s absence is just latest of a litany of injuries in their running back room as they’ve seen Mostert, Wilson, Mitchell, Sermon, and Jamycal Hasty all miss time this year. San Francisco will hope that the severity of Sermon’s condition is limited and that he will be able to return after three games. If so, Sermon will rejoin a roster slowly starting to get healthy as they make a push for playoff contention.
Lions Place OLB Trey Flowers On IR
Linebacker Trey Flowers‘ season has come to an end. The Lions’ pass rusher has been unable to stay on the field all year, missing four out of eleven games this season.
Flowers joined the Lions in 2019 after signing a substantial five-year deal worth $90MM. Flowers had racked up 21.0 sacks and 25 tackles for loss in three full seasons with the Patriots after missing all but one game of his rookie season. Flowers showed the production his contract promised in his first year with Detroit tallying 7.0 sacks and 8 tackles for loss. His injury troubles would begin the following year, though, as he only played in 7 games, a total he was only able to match and not surpass this season.
The Lions will now have to consider what the future holds for Flowers in Detroit. Flowers holds a cap hit in the 2022 season of $23.24MM, with about $12.85MM being potential dead money. It’s hard to say the Lions have been able to move on without Flowers this season. Despite Flowers’ limited production only resulting in 1.5 sacks this year, that total is still good for fourth on the team.
Still, the Lions may decide that the risk of losing Flowers to injury may not outweigh the significant cap space he’ll take up. For now, shutting him down allows Flowers a chance to get healthy as the Lions take time to determine his value.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/4/21
Here are Saturday’s practice squad moves:
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: WR Dillon Stoner (elevated to active roster)
- Released: WR Jeff Badet
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/4/21
Today’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Promoted: LS Beau Brinkley, RB Tavien Feaster, LB Joe Walker, LB Tahir Whitehead, CB Jace Whittaker
- Placed on IR: S James Wiggins
Atlanta Falcons
- Activated from IR: DE Steven Means
- Promoted: RB Qadree Ollison
Baltimore Ravens
- Promoted: DB Robert Jackson, RB Nate McCrary
Carolina Panthers
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: LB Frankie Luvu
Cincinnati Bengals
- Placed on IR: WR Auden Tate
- Promoted: G Keaton Sutherland, WR Pooka Williams, RB Trayveon Williams
Denver Broncos
- Promoted: RB Damarea Crockett
- Waived: WR Tyrie Cleveland
Detroit Lions
- Promoted: LB Tavante Beckett, LB Rashod Berry, DE Bruce Hector
Houston Texans
- Activated from IR: C Justin Britt, LB Christian Kirksey
- Promoted: S Jonathan Owens, RB Jaylen Samuels, DL Chris Smith
- Waived: CB Cre’von LeBlanc
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Activated from IR: DT Jay Tufele
Las Vegas Raiders
- Promoted: TE Matt Bushman, FB Sutton Smith, WR Dillon Stoner
Los Angeles Rams
- Promoted: WR Brandon Powell, RB Mekhi Sargent
Minnesota Vikings
- Promoted: RB Jake Bargas, DB Myles Dorn, DE Kenny Willekes
- Waived: DE Eddie Yarbrough
New York Giants
- Promoted: WR Pharoh Cooper, DB Steven Parker, DB Jarren Williams
New York Jets
- Signed: K Alex Kessman
- Waived: K Matt Ammendola
- Promoted: DE Ronald Blair, TE Dan Brown, RB Austin Walter
Philadelphia Eagles
- Promoted: S Jared Mayden
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Activated from IR: DL Carlos Davis
- Promoted: OL Chaz Green
San Francisco 49ers
- Promoted: LB Tyrell Adams, WR River Cracraft, LB Justin March
Seattle Seahawks
- Promoted: RB Adrian Peterson (story)
Tennessee Titans
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: QB Logan Woodside
Texans Add Phillip Dorsett, Place Danny Amendola On IR
Phillip Dorsett will have a chance to play for three teams this season. After working out for the Texans on Friday, the former first-round pick signed with the team.
This is a practice squad agreement, though those now frequently lead to active-roster promotions. Dorsett has seen action for the Jaguars and Seahawks this season. The 2015 Round 1 pick, however, has been unable to carve out much of a role in an offense since his 2019 Patriots season.
Dorsett, 28, has played in just three games over the past two seasons and has one reception in that span. The Jags and Seahawks cut him earlier this year.
The Texans also placed Danny Amendola on IR. Amendola underwent arthroscopic knee surgery earlier this week. While that procedure is not an automatic season-ender, the Texans will opt to save a roster spot by shelving a player who would not have been healthy until near season’s end. Houston placed Amendola on IR earlier this year, so his second such transaction will end his season.
With this ending Amendola’s age-36 campaign, it is safe to wonder if the 13th-year veteran will play again. Amendola, who signed a one-year deal worth $2.5MM just before Week 1, is the oldest active NFL wideout by over a year. Amendola’s Texans stint has not produced much in the way of consequence, but the former Patriots standout did move past 6,000 receiving yards for his career.