Titans Add Takk McKinley To Practice Squad
Dealt a tough blow with Harold Landry‘s injury, the Titans are adding a piece to their edge-rushing equation ahead of Week 2. Takkarist McKinley is joining Tennessee’s practice squad.
A former first-round pick, McKinley has been on the radar for a bit now. The Cardinals and Cowboys hosted McKinley on visits during training camp. McKinley, 26, is attempting to bounce back after a December Achilles tear ended his Browns campaign.
While McKinley’s stock has fallen since his early NFL days, he does bring a high draft pedigree (26th overall in 2017) and considerable experience (60 games, 27 starts). The former Falcons draftee has 20 career sacks, though 13 of those came between the 2017 and ’18 seasons.
Landry’s loss left the Titans without their top edge defender. Although the team has rising star defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons anchoring its pass rush, Landry has been Tennessee’s top sack artist for years. Bud Dupree is now in place in that role, with supporting casters Rashad Weaver — a 2021 fourth-rounder — and Olasunkanmi Adeniyi rounding out the rotation. Adeniyi started alongside Dupree in Week 1, but Weaver accumulated two sacks in a rotational role.
Despite McKinley’s sack totals dropping in recent years, the UCLA product has continued to generate interest. The 2020 season showed that. After attempting to trade McKinley ahead of that year’s deadline, the Falcons waived him. Claims kept coming in for McKinley, who saw the Bengals, 49ers and Raiders take a look. After failing physicals with Cincinnati and San Francisco, McKinley did catch on in Las Vegas. However, a November groin injury ended his Raiders tenure without any game action.
The Browns signed him in 2021 and used him in 11 games. McKinley notched 2.5 sacks and a forced fumble with Cleveland, working mostly as a rotational player behind Myles Garrett and Jadeveon Clowney. To clear room on their 16-man practice squad, the Titans promoted defensive back Chris Jackson to their 53-man roster.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/15/22
Today’s practice squad moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: WR Javon Wims
- Released: WR JaVonta Payton
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: RB B.J. Baylor
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: WR Chris Lacy
- Placed on IR: WR Dillon Stoner
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed: RB Ronnie Rivers
- Placed on IR: RB Trey Ragas
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: DE Gerri Green
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/13/22
Here are Tuesday’s minor moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Promoted: TE Anthony Firkser
Baltimore Ravens
- Placed on IR: CB Kyle Fuller (story), T Ja’Wuan James (story)
Carolina Panthers
- Released from IR via injury settlement: LB Isaiah Graham-Mobley
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: CB Thomas Graham Jr.
Indianapolis Colts
- Promoted: CB Tony Brown
Kansas City Chiefs
- Promoted: LB Jack Cochrane, LB Elijah Lee
Los Angeles Chargers
- Released from IR via injury settlement: CB Tevaughn Campbell
Los Angeles Rams
- Placed on IR: RB Kyren Williams (story)
New England Patriots
- Placed on IR: RB Ty Montgomery
- Promoted: WR Lil’Jordan Humphrey
Philadelphia Eagles
- Placed on IR: DE Derek Barnett (story)
- Signed off Vikings’ practice squad: DE Janarius Robinson
San Francisco 49ers
- Promoted: S Tashaun Gipson
Tennessee Titans
- Placed on IR: DL Da’Shawn Hand, DB A.J. Moore Jr.
Hand suffered a torn quad in the Titans’ opener, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter). He is undergoing surgery and is expected to miss the rest of the season. A former fourth-round Lions draftee back in 2018, Hand has been with the Titans since last year. He played two defensive snaps Sunday.
Montgomery had battled a knee injury during the run-up to the regular season, but the veteran passing-down back played in the Patriots’ Week 1 contest. Montgomery caught three passes for 15 yards in New England’s loss. The Pats signed Humphrey, a former Saints wideout, midway through the offseason.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/13/22
Here are Tuesday’s practice squad additions and subtractions:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: OL Koda Martin
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: CB Dylan Mabin
Chicago Bears
- Signed: DB Harrison Hand
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: CB Herb Miller, WR Chester Rogers
Denver Broncos
- Signed: TE Dominique Dafney
- Released: TE Dylan Parham
Houston Texans
- Signed: DB BoPete Keyes
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: CB Darrell Baker Jr., S Henry Black, K Lucas Havrisik, K Chase McLaughlin (story)
- Released: G Arlington Hambright, S Will Redmond, CB Chris Wilcox
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: CB Dicaprio Bootle, WR Corey Coleman
- Released: S James Wiggins
Las Vegas Raiders
- Released: DT Kyle Peko
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: DT Breiden Fehoko
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed: LS Matt Overton
- Placed on practice squad injured list: DB Daniel Isom
New Orleans Saints
- Released: WR Dai’Jean Dixon
New York Jets
- Signed: P Ty Long
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: OLB Ryan Anderson (story), TE Rodney Williams
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: OL Keith Ismael, RB Marlon Mack (story)
- Released: OL Keaton Sutherland, WR Connor Wedington
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Released: TE J.J. Howland
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: DB Nate Brooks
Washington Commanders
- Signed: DT Benning Potoa’e
- Released: S Ferrod Gardner
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/12/22
Today’s practice squad moves from around the NFL:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: DT Abdullah Anderson
- Placed on practice squad/injured: OL Tyler Vrabel
Chicago Bears
- Signed: OLB Andre Anthony, G Michael Niese
- Released: G Lachavious Simmons
Houston Texans
- Signed: RB Royce Freeman
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: OL James Murray, DL Corey Peters
- Released: OL Nick Ford, LB Grant Morgan
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: DB Tre Swilling
- Released: TE Tanner Owen
New York Giants
- Signed: OL KC McDermott
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: LB Jack Gibbens
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/12/22
Here are Monday’s minor moves:
Chicago Bears
- Promoted to active roster: DT Mike Pennel
Cincinnati Bengals
- Promoted to active roster: LS Cal Adomitis
- Placed on IR: LS Clark Harris
Cleveland Browns
- Waived: CB Herb Miller
Los Angeles Chargers
- Promoted to active roster: DL Christian Covington
- Waived: DL Breiden Fehoko
Seattle Seahawks
- Placed on IR: OLB Alton Robinson
- Promoted from practice squad: LB Tanner Muse, LS Carson Tinker
Tennessee Titans
- Promoted to active roster: RB Trenton Cannon, LB Joe Jones
Washington Commanders
- Signed: NT Donovan Jeter
- Placed on IR: DT Phidarian Mathis
Robinson has been mostly a rotational defensive end with the Seahawks, but the Syracuse product has five sacks in his two seasons. Robinson suffered a knee injury in Seattle’s preseason finale. He can return after four games, though teams only have eight IR-return slots — way up from the pre-COVID NFL but down from the 2020 and ’21 unlimited IR-return setup — this season.
The Seahawks will be without their primary long snapper, Tyler Ott, on Monday night. Ott is out with a shoulder injury. Tinker has been an NFL snapper since 2013, and the veteran specialist has experience with Seahawks kicker Jason Myers. The duo played together in Jacksonville during the mid-2010s.
Latest On Titans’ QB Situation
The Titans were one of several teams who used Day 2 of this April’s draft to add to their quarterback room. The addition of Malik Willis – who was seen by many as the signal-caller with the most upside in the 2022 class – led to questions about Ryan Tannehill‘s hold on the No. 1 spot. 
As confirmed by Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, however, “there is no competition or controversy” in Nashville at the position. Willis put up notable production after transferring to Liberty for the final two seasons of his college career, totaling 5,107 passing yards and 47 touchdowns. He added 1,822 yards and another 27 scores on the ground, showcasing the rushing ability which made him stand out from an underwhelming crop of prospects.
That, coupled with Willis’ preseason performances, fueled speculation that he could see the field relatively early. The Titans traded up to select him, and Tannehill’s disappointing 2021 season ended with a three-interception performance in the Divisional Round. The latter was not informed of the decision to draft Willis, but he has had a largely successful stint with the team and is due $27MM in 2022.
As a result, the Titans “fully expect” Tannehill to operate as the undisputed starter this season, where he will look to guide an offense no longer featuring A.J. Brown to another AFC-topping regular season. The team also publicly supported him in February, despite the underwhelming nature of his postseason. Given the $36MM cap charge he is scheduled to have in 2023 (along with no guaranteed money), however, Rapoport and Pelissero acknowledge that things could be very different for Tannehill one year from now.
The 34-year-old put up two touchdowns and a passer rating of 106.4 during yesterday’s loss to the Giants. His ability to improve on that performance throughout the season will be worth watching as his potential successor remains on the sidelines for the foreseeable future.
2022 Offseason In Review Series
This season will feature 12 new Week 1 starting quarterbacks, though the Jets’ decision is the result of an injury rather than a roster move. High-profile wide receivers also changed teams, igniting one of the biggest market shifts a single position has seen. The Offseason In Review series is now complete. Here are the PFR staff’s looks at how the 32 NFL teams assembled their 2022 rosters.
AFC East
AFC North
AFC South
AFC West
NFC East
NFC North
NFC South
NFC West
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/10/22
Today’s minor moves around the league, as teams prepare for the first Sunday slate of regular season games:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed to 53-man roster: WR Andre Baccellia
- Signed to 53-man roster (from Giants’ practice squad): OL Max Garcia
- Promoted from practice squad: LB Devon Kennard, CB Jace Whittaker
- Placed on IR: OL Cody Ford
- Released: CB Javelin Guidry
Atlanta Falcons
- Promoted from practice squad: TE Anthony Firkser
- Released: DL Abdullah Anderson
Baltimore Ravens
- Promoted from practice squad: OLB Steven Means
Carolina Panthers
- Promoted from practice squad: LB Arron Mosby
Chicago Bears
- Promoted from practice squad: DL Mike Pennel, OL Dieter Eiselen
Cleveland Browns
- Promoted from practice squad: LB Jordan Kunaszyk, DE Isaac Rochell
Dallas Cowboys
- Promoted from practice squad: QB Cooper Rush, K Brett Maher
Detroit Lions
- Promoted from practice squad: RB Justin Jackson, LB Anthony Pittman
Green Bay Packers
- Promoted from practice squad: S Micah Abernathy, WR Juwann Winfree
Houston Texans
- Signed to 53-man roster: DL Demone Harris, LB Kevin Pierre-Louis
- Promoted from practice squad: WR Chris Conley, QB Jeff Driskel
- Placed on IR: DE Mario Addison
Indianapolis Colts
- Promoted from practice squad: CB Tony Brown
Kansas City Chiefs
- Promoted from practice squad: WR Daurice Fountain, LB Elijah Lee
Las Vegas Raiders
- Promoted from practice squad: S Matthias Farley
Los Angeles Chargers
- Promoted from practice squad: CB Kemon Hall, TE Richard Rodgers
Miami Dolphins
- Promoted from practice squad: WR River Cracraft, S Verone McKinley III
Minnesota Vikings
- Promoted from practice squad: S Myles Dorn
New England Patriots
- Promoted from practice squad: WR Lil’Jordan Humphrey, LB Harvey Langi
New Orleans Saints
- Promoted from practice squad: DT Christian Ringo
- Released: C Nick Martin
New York Giants
- Promoted from practice squad: S Tony Jefferson, OLB Quincy Roche
New York Jets
- Promoted from practice squad: T Grant Hermanns
Philadelphia Eagles
- Promoted from practice squad: WR Britain Covey, TE Noah Togiai
San Francisco 49ers
- Promoted from practice squad: S Tashaun Gipson, WR Malik Turner
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Promoted from practice squad: LB Genard Avery
Tennessee Titans
- Promoted from practice squad: LB Joe Jones, RB Trenton Cannon
The Cardinals’ moves come as a reaction to yesterday’s injury news. Baccellia’s roster spot was opened up in the short-term by the injury to Rondale Moore, but he won’t simply be a stop-gap. Arizona signed the 25-year-old to a two-year deal to remain on the main roster, per Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network (Twitter link). A UDFA out of Washington, Baccellia has yet to make a regular season NFL appearance.
Likewise, the fact that Ford will miss at least the first four weeks of the season makes the re-acquisition of Garcia a logical one. The former fourth-rounder has plenty of guard experience, including his three seasons spent in Arizona. It was only in 2021 that he logged any starts, but he could provide veteran depth behind Justin Pugh at least until Ford is able to return.
Addison, 35, was one of several veteran signings the Texans made this offseason to add depth to their front seven. He had a productive season with the Bills last season, notching seven sacks despite not starting any games. In his absence, Harris and Pierre-Louis will provide depth in the edge rush department on Sunday, and likely the short-term future as well.
Quick reminder that standard game day practice squad promotions are a recent development from the new CBA and COVID-19 seasons. Essentially, each team is able to promote two players from the practice squad to the active roster for game days. The players will automatically revert back to the practice squad after the game, not needing to clear waivers before rejoining the developmental roster. A player can only be promoted three times per season. If a team would like to promote a player for a fourth game, they’ll need to go through the normal method of creating space on the 53-man roster to promote them and have them clear waivers before placing them back on the practice squad. That is the difference between “Signed to 53-man roster” from the practice squad and “Promoted from practice squad.”
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/9/22
Today’s minor moves leading up to Week 1:
Chicago Bears
- Released with injury settlement: WR Tajae Sharpe
- Released: DT Mike Pennel
Cleveland Browns
- Promoted from practice squad: CB Herb Miller
Green Bay Packers
- Waived with injury settlement: DT Akial Byers, S Innis Gaines
Houston Texans
- Released: RB Royce Freeman
Philadelphia Eagles
- Released with injury settlement: WR Greg Ward
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Waived with injury settlement: DT Elijah Ponder
Tennessee Titans
- Placed on IR: DB Elijah Molden, LB Chance Campbell
The Texans had recently re-signed Freeman after he failed to make the initial 53-man roster. Houston will move forward with rookie Dameon Pierce, Rex Burkhead, and Dare Ogunbowale at running back.
Ward has been with the Eagles on-and-off since signing with the team after going undrafted in 2017. His first two seasons consisted mostly of time on the practice squad. The former University of Houston quarterback then took a hiatus from the NFL to sign with the Alliance of American Football. When the AAF suspended operations, Ward re-joined the Eagles. He had a bit of a breakout year in 2020, catching 53 passes for 419 yards and six touchdowns, but took a bit of a backseat in Philadelphia’s offense last season.
Miller was called up as a response to Browns cornerback Greedy Williams being placed on injured reserve today. Miller will slot in behind Denzel Ward, Greg Newsome II, Martin Emerson, and A.J. Green as the secondary faces off against their former teammate Baker Mayfield in Week 1.