Raiders Designate Jalen Richard For Return
The Raiders have designated running back Jalen Richard for return. Meanwhile, fellow RB Josh Jacobs joined the team for practice on Thursday, a sign that he could take the field against the Chargers this week. 
Richard has spent five seasons with the Raiders, including a 2018 campaign where he finished with 866 yards from scrimmage. He hasn’t been able to match that production over the past two years, combining for only 729 yards from scrimmage in 29 games. Still, the 27-year-old was supposed to open the year as a primary backup to Jacobs. Instead, he’s been sidelined for the last couple of months with a foot injury.
Jacobs, meanwhile, has not been seen since the season opener against the Ravens. Instead of putting him on IR and ruling him out for three games, they’ve tasked Kenyan Drake and Peyton Barber with handling the workload. The two-time 1,000-yard rusher scored two touchdowns in that game with 40 all-purpose yards.
Drake has yet to flourish in their stead, but Barber delivered last week with 111 rushing yards to help top the Dolphins.
Titans To Sign Johnny Townsend
The Titans are set to sign punter Johnny Townsend (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo). This likely means that current punter Brett Kern will miss time as he recovers from a groin injury. 
At minimum, Townsend should see time against the Jets. A fifth-rounder in 2018, he spent his rookie year as the Raiders’ punter. The following year, he was leapfrogged by UDFA A.J. Cole. After leaving the Raiders with a 43.2 yards per kick average, he signed deals with the Giants and Chiefs, but did not play for either team. The Ravens did use him briefly last year though, trotting him out in the regular season finale.
The Titans were in a similar spot last year as Kern missed three games. It was a reminder of how critical a punter can be — fill-in Trevor Allen had a disastrous outing in a one-sided loss to the Colts. They’ll hope for better results this time around with Townsend.
The 2-1 Titans face the winless Jets this Sunday in New Jersey.
DT Gerald McCoy Suspended Six Games
Gerald McCoy is already out for the 2021 campaign, but that didn’t stop the NFL from handing him a suspension. The Raiders defensive tackle was slapped with a six-game ban today, reports ESPN’s Paul Gutierrez (via Twitter).
McCoy was banned for violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing substances. He’ll begin serving the suspension immediately.
“I love the game of football and have nothing but respect for the players, fans, and this league,” McCoy said in a statement (via Twitter). “I’ve given my all to this game and worked my entire career to compete, train, and rehabilitate at a high level with integrity. It is with great disappointment that I recently learned I tested positive for a banned substance – something I was prescribed to take to help with scar tissue and tendon strength from a previous injury. In no way would I ever intentionally take anything to help with performance or gain a competitive advantage. This was an honest mistake, but it’s something I take full responsibility for. I apologize to my family, the NFL, my teammates, and the fans and ask humbly for your forgiveness.”
McCoy was already sidelined for the entire 2021 campaign after suffering a season-ending injury during Week 1. However, it sounds like McCoy was punished for using a substance that helped him rehabilitate a previous injury…perhaps the torn quad that prevented him from taking the field for the Cowboys in 2020.
McCoy earned six Pro Bowl nods with the Buccaneers and performed as one of the NFL’s best defensive lineman in the 2010s. He spent 2019 with the Panthers, appeared in all 16 games, and registered five sacks, giving him 59.5 for his career.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/29/21
Today’s taxi squad moves:
Denver Broncos
- Signed: OL Harry Crider, OL Javon Patterson
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: S Jordan Lucas
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: RB Trey Ragas, WR Javon Wims
Los Angeles Rams
- Claimed (from Steelers): OLB Jamir Jones
New York Giants
- Signed: Omari Cobb, OL Sam Jones
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: WR Phillip Dorsett, TE Ryan Izzo, QB Jake Luton
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: DL Abdullah Anderson
Washington Football Team
- Signed: WR Kelvin Harmon
Seahawks TE Gerald Everett Lands On Reserve/COVID-19 List
The Seahawks are likely to be without Gerald Everett for at least Week 4. The veteran tight end tested positive for COVID-19 and landed on Seattle’s coronavirus list, Doug Kyed of Pro Football Focus tweets.
Everett being fully vaccinated would allow him to return if he tests negative twice 24 hours apart. If the fifth-year tight end is not vaccinated, he is subject to 2020 protocols and is certain to miss Sunday’s game and perhaps Week 5 as well. Either way, the Seahawks are likely to be without their recently signed starter Sunday.
Seattle gave Everett a two-year, $6MM deal this offseason, bringing him over after hiring Rams assistant Shane Waldron as OC. Everett has started the season slowly, but he did haul in five passes for 54 yards in the Seahawks’ Week 3 loss to the Vikings.
The team has Will Dissly in place to pick up the slack. The injury-prone pass catcher has played 38% of the Seahawks’ offensive snaps through three games and has four receptions. Seattle also designated second-year tight end Colby Parkinson for return Wednesday and recently signed ex-Packer Jace Sternberger to its practice squad. Parkinson suffered a foot fracture for the second straight summer and has been on the mend since. The Seahawks have 21 days to bump him up to their active roster.
Bears Designate Danny Trevathan For Return
The Bears have designated linebacker Danny Trevathan to return from the injured reserve list. The Bears now have 21 days to either move him to the active roster or shut him down for the remainder of the season. 
Trevathan will likely return sooner rather than later. The tenth-year vet missed time with a knee injury during training camp, but this was always viewed as a short-term injury.
The Bears did their best to brace for Trevathan’s absence, rostering plenty of inside linebackers on their 53-man roster. Still, they’d like to have the 31-year-old defensive anchor return ASAP. The 1-2 Bears coughed up a combined 60 points in their losses to the Rams and the Browns.
Trevathan has been a starter for the Bears since signing with them in 2016. The former Broncos sixth-round pick and two-time Super Bowl starter has battled multiple significant injuries since ’16, but turned in a full slate with 113 stops last year to help lift the Bears to the playoffs. The Bears have Trevathan signed through 2022, thanks to the three-year contract he inked last year.
Giants Add Isaiah Wilson To Practice Squad
The Giants are signing former Titans first-rounder Isaiah Wilson to the practice squad (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). Despite his turbulent Tennessee tenure, the offensive tackle could be a tremendous value addition for the G-Men. 
Wilson auditioned for the Giants on Tuesday and showed enough to earn a spot on the 16-man taxi squad. Of course, the NFL had higher hopes for him last year when the Titans made him the No. 29 overall pick in the draft.
The Titans traded Wilson to the Dolphins after a four-snap rookie season. Then, he ran into extensive off-field trouble as a rookie and encountered more this year, with a January arrest involving a high-speed chase leading the Dolphins to cut bait as well.
The Giants could certainly use Wilson’s help up front with Nick Gates and Shane Lemieux are out for the season. If Wilson impresses in practice, he might be able to support former Georgia teammate Andrew Thomas and veteran Nate Solder on the outside.
Ravens Designate Rashod Bateman, Miles Boykin For Return
The Ravens have designated wide receivers Rashod Bateman and Miles Boykin for return from injured reserve. Both players will now be able to practice with the team as they prepare to retake the field. 
Bateman underwent groin surgery in August and was forced to begin the year on IR. One of several stellar WRs in the 2020 class, Bateman registered 1,219 yards and eleven touchdowns in 2019, his last full season at Minnesota. The Ravens selected him with the No. 27 in this past year’s draft.
Up until this year, Boykin hadn’t missed a game as a pro. The 2019 third-rounder started 24 games over his first two seasons, hauling in 32 receptions for 464 yards and seven touchdowns.
With Bateman and Boykin on IR, the Ravens have been working with five wideouts: Marquise Brown, Sammy Watkins, James Proche, Devin Duvernay, and Tylan Wallace. Now they’re close to getting some reinforcements as they prepare for the Broncos in Week 4.
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/29/21
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Arizona Cardinals
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: WR Josh Doctson
Philadelphia Eagles
- Promoted: OL Sua Opeta
Seattle Seahawks
- Designated to return: OT Cedric Ogbuehi
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Placed on IR: Scott Miller
Titans Place Two Linebackers On IR
A pair of Titans linebackers are heading to the IR. The team placed Rashad Weaver and Derick Roberson on injured reserve today, reports Terry McCormick of TitansInsider.com.
Weaver, a fourth-round rookie, suffered a leg injury during Sunday’s win over the Colts. Per McCormick, the linebacker was seen leaving the stadium on crutches, and it’s believed the player suffered a broken leg. If that’s the case, Weaver’s season has likely come to an end.
After seeing a bit of time on special teams in Week 2, Weaver saw a more significant role on defense on Sunday. The rookie finished the game having compiled two tackles.
Weaver’s increase in playing time was partly attributed to Roberson, who was inactive on Sunday due to a knee injury. The linebacker saw time on 31 snaps during Week 1, collecting three tackles. He didn’t see the field over the past two weeks, and now he’ll have to sit out an additional three weeks thanks to his placement on IR.
The team has already started to add some depth at the position. Earlier today, the Titans added linebacker Sharif Finch to their practice squad.