Panthers Cut Trumaine Johnson
Trumaine Johnson‘s time with the Panthers is already over. On Friday, the Panthers dropped Trumaine Johnson from the practice squad, just days after signing him. His spot will be filled by Kai Forbath, who returns to the team as their backup leg.
Johnson, 30, has made 77 NFL starts. At one point in time, he was regarded as one of the league’s better starting cornerbacks. But, things changed when he went from the Rams to the Jets. His five-year, $72.5MM deal was a monumental flop, and, ultimately, it proved to be one of the misguided moves that ended Mike Maccagan‘s tenure as the team’s GM.
In his first year with Gang Green, Johnson missed significant time with a quad injury that some Jets staffers believe he could have played through. He did come away with four interceptions in 2018, but that stat doesn’t tell the whole story – Johnson struggled in coverage and looked like a shell of his former self. Things deteriorated even further in 2019 – Johnson appeared in only seven games before landing on IR. He was also benched for performance reasons and, unsurprisingly, they were unable to find any takers for him at the trade deadline.
Now, Johnson has gone from NFL notable, to practice squader, to off the Panthers’ expanded 16-man practice squad. Forbath, meanwhile, will wait for his next opportunity while he backstops Joey Slye.
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/24/20
Here are Thursday’s minor moves, with the list being updated throughout the day:
Arizona Cardinals
- Placed on practice squad-IR: TE Justin Johnson
Chicago Bears
- Signed (off Steelers’ practice squad): DT Daniel McCullers
- Placed on IR: DL John Jenkins
Denver Broncos
- Promoted: S P.J. Locke
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Promoted: OL KC McDermott
Los Angeles Rams
- Promoted: LB Natrez Patrick
Miami Dolphins
- Promoted: CB Tae Hayes
Minnesota Vikings
- Placed on IR: LB Troy Dye
Tennessee Titans
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: CB Greg Mabin
Rams Place OL Joe Noteboom On IR
More injury rehab lies in Joe Noteboom‘s future. After recovering from ACL and MCL tears to return to the Rams’ starting lineup, the team’s top left guard will return to IR.
The Rams shelved Noteboom for at least three weeks after he suffered a Grade 2 calf strain against the Eagles. This will provide another interruption to the former third-round pick’s run as a starter.
After letting Rodger Saffold head elsewhere in free agency, Rams turned to the TCU product last season. Noteboom started six games but went on IR after his knee injury. However, he returned in time for Week 1 of his third NFL season and has started both Rams games thus far.
Los Angeles has used 2019 trade acquisition Austin Corbett as its other guard starter. David Edwards, a 2019 fifth-round pick, replaced Noteboom last week and is expected to start opposite Corbett on Sunday in Buffalo.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/24/20
We’ll keep track of today’s taxi squad moves here:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: OL Willie Beavers
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed: G Jeremiah Kolone
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: WR Cody White
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: WR Lance Lenoir
Cards Add Jaron Brown To Practice Squad
After stops in two other NFC West cities, Jaron Brown will make his way back to Arizona for another Cardinals opportunity.
The Cards added their former five-year wide receiver contributor to their practice squad Wednesday. Brown spent the past two seasons with the Seahawks and was with the 49ers briefly during their most recent training camp.
Teams are permitted to carry up to six players with unlimited NFL experience on their 16-man practice squads this season. Brown has seven years’ worth of experience, with his most notable work coming with the Cardinals.
Brown, 30, played for each of the five Bruce Arians-led Cardinals teams. The former UDFA worked as a depth player until 2017, when he started eight games and posted career-high marks with 31 catches for 477 yards. Brown caught nine touchdown passes between the 2017 and ’18 seasons.
The 6-foot-3 pass catcher will join wideouts Andre Patton, JoJo Ward and A.J. Richardson on the Cards’ taxi squad.
Raiders To Place Richie Incognito On IR
Although Richie Incognito avoided an Achilles tear, he will not return to the Raiders’ starting lineup for a while. The Raiders are placing the veteran guard on IR, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets.
Incognito left Monday night’s game with an Achilles injury and will be out until at least Week 6. The Raiders moved rookie John Simpson into Incognito’s left guard spot against the Saints, pointing to the fourth-round Clemson product making a Week 3 start.
The Raiders gambled on the polarizing Incognito in free agency last year and were rewarded when the experienced blocker helped the team form one of the league’s top offensive lines. The Raiders then extended the 37-year-old guard through the 2021 season.
Viewed as a potential player who could replace offseason trade chip Gabe Jackson, Simpson instead saw time opposite Jackson in New Orleans. Pro Football Focus rated Incognito as one of its better guards last season, viewing him as an elite pass-blocking guard, and again had him off to a good start in 2020. Prior to Incognito missing the 2018 season amid more off-field trouble, he went to three straight Pro Bowls as a member of the Bills.
Las Vegas will fill Incognito’s roster spot with Patrick Omameh, a veteran guard who has made 57 career starts in eight NFL seasons. The Raiders added Omameh to their practice squad ahead of their Week 2 game.
Panthers Place Christian McCaffrey On IR
The Panthers have placed Christian McCaffrey on injured reserve, per a club announcement. The running back’s high-ankle sprain will keep him out of action for a minimum of three weeks, per league rules. 
The Panthers will monitor McCaffrey’s recovery, but it’s likely that he’ll need more than the minimum IR stint to get back to 100% health. At the very least, he’ll be out for games against the Chargers, Cardinals, and Falcons. He’ll be eligible to return on Oct. 18 when the Panthers take on the Bears in Carolina, but they won’t be able to bank on his availability.
For now, the Panthers figure to turn things over to Mike Davis, who finished Sunday’s game with eight catches for 74 yards. Before that, McCaffrey was his usual stellar self in the season opener, rushing for 97 yards. And, even in a trying 2019 fo rthe team, McCaffrey still managed 1,387 rushing yards off of 287 carries, giving him an average of 4.8 yards per tote. He also caught 116 passes for 1,005 yards through the air. All combined, he notched 19 touchdowns on the year, paving the way towards his record-breaking four-year, $64MM deal in the offseason.
As of this writing, Trenton Cannon represents the only other RB on the depth chart behind Davis. They also have fullback Alex Armah on hand, but practice squad running back Reggie Bonnafon seems a likely call-up for this week. Beyond that, they may want to explore the free agent market if McCaffrey is out for an extended period.
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/23/20
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
New York Jets
- Signed: DB Marqui Christian
Seattle Seahawks
- Promoted: DT Anthony Rush
- Reinstated: OL Kyle Fuller
- Placed on IR: DB Marquise Blair, DE Bruce Irvin
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: Promoted: TE Tanner Hudson
Tennessee Titans
- Placed on IR: CB Senorise Perry
49ers To Place Tevin Coleman On IR
The 49ers are preparing to place running back Tevin Coleman on injured reserve, head coach Kyle Shanahan says (Twitter link via Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News). Between this and Raheem Mostert‘s knee strain, the Niners’ backfield is looking thin. According to Shanahan, Coleman’s issue is also more severe than Mostert’s. 
Coleman, 27, joined the 49ers last offseason after spending the first four seasons of his career in Atlanta. The veteran was solid in his 14 games (11 starts), compiling 544 yards and six scores on 137 carries. He also hauled in 21 receptions for 180 yards and one touchdown. The emergence of Mostert relegated Coleman to more of a backup role, although he still had 18 totes (albeit for only 30 yards) through his team’s first two games this season.
The injury bug has shown no mercy to the 49ers, nor has it been exclusive to the offensive side of the ball. In the past week, the 49ers have also lost star defensive end Nick Bosa and defensive lineman Solomon Thomas to season-ending ACL tears.
Meanwhile, they received better-than-expected news on Jimmy Garoppolo‘s high-ankle sprain, but Nick Mullens is still likely to start in his place on Sunday against the Giants. The Niners – currently at 1-1 – will hope to have Jimmy G under center in Week 4 against the Eagles.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/23/20
Today’s practice squad adds and drops:
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: TE Nakia Griffin-Stewart
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: WR Marcus Johnson
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: LB Cale Garrett
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: RB Austin Walter
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: CB Ross Cockrell, C Zach Shackelford