Cincinnati Bengals add running back to their practice squad

The Cincinnati Bengals surprised a lot of people when they opted to keep three running backs on their practice squad following the preseason and they’re back up to that number again.

After Jacques Patrick was snagged off the practice squad by the 49ers a few weeks ago, the Bengals added another running back by the name of Elijah Holyfield.

As Ian Rapoport notes in the tweet below, Elijah Holyfield is indeed the son of Evander Holyfield, for those of you who might have been wondering.

This move makes sense for Cincinnati with Joe Mixon dealing with an ankle injury and Samaje Perine being placed on the COVID list this week. Chris Evans is still on the active roster but he hasn’t gotten involved as much as fans would like so far.

Welcome to the Cincinnati Bengals, Elijah Holyfield!

Holyfield played college football at Georgia and went undrafted in the 2019 NFL Draft despite rushing for over 1,000 yards and seven touchdowns during the 2018 season. He’s appeared in just one game to this point and it came with the Eagles last year. He didn’t record any stats in that appearance.

This probably isn’t a signing that will mean much down the road but more of a precautionary thing with the Bengals dealing with some setbacks at the running back spot. Mixon played last week but sparingly while Perine’s status for the game could be in jeopardy if he doesn’t clear COVID protocols before Sunday.

Also on the Bengals’ practice squad are Pooka Williams and Trayveon Williams. Pooka is listed as a wide receiver and spent time as a return specialist over the preseason. Fans are more familiar with Trayveon, who was on the Bengals’ roster the past two years.

We might not see Holyfield on the team but it’s a move that offers insurance moving forward.