NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/16/21
Today’s taxi squad moves:
Detroit Lions
- Signed: OL Tommy Kraemer
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: FB Adam Prentice
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)
49ers Add RB Trenton Cannon
The 49ers have claimed Trenton Cannon off of waivers from the Ravens (Twitter link via Field Yates of ESPN.com). Cannon will help to fortify the Niners’ running back group in the wake of Raheem Mostert‘s season-ending injury. 
[RELATED: Raheem Mostert Out For Year]
The Niners also picked up Kerryon Johnson this week, adding him to their 16-man practice squad. Cannon might not be as big of a name, but he offers experience and special teams ability.
A sixth-round Jets pick in 2018, Cannon wound up with the Panthers last year and contributed mostly as a kick returner. He played on 40% of the Panthers’ special teams snaps in 2020. This all overlapped with Christian McCaffrey‘s injury, but Cannon took just ten handoffs in 14 games with Carolina, less than his 38 totes as a Jets rookie.
The Ravens turned to Cannon in the wake of their own backfield injury bug. They may look for additional RB help as Cannon moves on to his new club. He’ll have his chance to debut for SF on Sunday when they face the Eagles in Philadelphia.
Seahawks Place Ethan Pocic On IR
The Seahawks have placed center Ethan Pocic on the injured reserve list. His spot will be filled by the promotion of linebacker Jon Rhattigan from the 16-man practice squad.
[RELATED: Raiders Poach OL Jordan Simmons From Seahawks]
Pocic left the season opener with a knee sprain, ending his day after just 14 snaps. Kyle Fuller, his mid-game replacement, figures to start in the middle when the Seahawks face the Titans this week.
A former second-round pick, Pocic has seen action at both guard and center as a pro. He opened the 2019 season as a Seattle starter but saw a back injury derail his season. The veteran blocker bounced back in 2020 and re-upped with the team to stay in 2021.
Last year, Pocic started in 14 games at center for a career high 932 snaps. He also notched an improved 62.4 grade from Pro Football Focus, the best of his career.
Raiders Sign OL Jordan Simmons
The Raiders will sign offensive lineman Jordan Simmons off of the Seahawks’ practice squad (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero). The deal should become official later today, once Simmons clears his physical.
Simmons started his career with the Raiders in 2017 as a UDFA. The USC product spent the entire year on the practice squad before being waived the following August. The Seahawks picked him up in 2018 and deployed him in six games (three starts). He missed all of ’19 due to injury, but bounced back last year for 14 games, including six starts.
Simmons will help fill in for guard Denzelle Good, who will spend the remainder of the year on IR. He’ll join John Simpson as a supporting guard, though one of the two could start if Richie Incognito‘s calf doesn’t help up in time for Week 2. Simpson might have the edge in that case, since he got the call in Week 1.
“He’s gotten a lot of experience and reps because of Richie’s injury,” offensive coordinator Greg Olson said before Monday’s contest (via ESPN.com). “So, we feel comfortable there. And again, we talked about the depth that we have in the inside and he provided us with great depth and now he provides us with a starter.”
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/15/21
We’ll keep track of today’s taxi squad moves here:
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: CB Kevon Seymour, OT Andre Smith
Chicago Bears
- Signed: OL Alex Taylor
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed: S Sean Davis (story)
Houston Texans
- Signed: DB Grayland Arnold
- Released: DB Antonio Phillips
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: CB Chris Wilcox
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: WR Maurice Ffrench
- Placed on IR: WR Joe Reed
Las Vegas Raiders
- Released: CB Madre Harper
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: DB Jordan Miller, C Austin Reiter
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: WR De’Quan Hampton, TE Michael Jacobson, WR Connor Wedington
Bengals Place Ricardo Allen On IR
Bengals safety Ricardo Allen will be out for at least three weeks with a hamstring strain and a broken hand (Twitter link via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com). As a result, they’ll place Allen on short-term IR and sign veteran safety Sean Davis to the practice squad as insurance. 
Allen joined the Bengals in March to fortify the safety group. Before that, he operated as a first-string safety for the Falcons from 2015-2020, including a start in Super Bowl LI. Despite losing his 2018 season to injury, the 29-year-old was mostly healthy over the last two years, up until now.
In his 12 games last season, the 29-year-old registered 25 stops and a pair of interceptions. Counting the ill-fated season opener against the Vikings, he’s appeared in 78 games (76 starts) since 2014. And, in those 21 snaps on Sunday, Pro Football Focus assigned him a solid overall grade of 85.4.
The Bengals could promote Davis, Brandon Wilson, or Trayvon Henderson as they await Allen’s return from IR. They’ll likely make the call today as they gear up for the Bears in Week 2.
Raiders’ Gerald McCoy Done For Year
Raiders defensive tackle Gerald McCoy suffered a season-ending injury on Monday night (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). This was the expected news after the veteran was carted off the field on Monday night. 
The Raiders haven’t formally announced McCoy’s injury, but they did say it was a knee injury during the Monday Night Football telecast. It’s yet another season cut short for the former multiple-time Pro Bowler. Last year, a torn quad prevented him from taking the field for the Cowboys.
Before all of that that, 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.
McCoy was set to serve as a rotational defensive tackle behind Johnathan Hankins. To keep the run defense in tact, the team will call on Solomon Thomas, Darius Philon, and new addition Damion Square.
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.