49ers add another running back to the active roster after losing Mostert to injury

The 49ers lost Raheem Mostert to injury for the season yesterday and have made a number of moves the last two days to fill his spot on the roster.

The team signed Kerryon Johnson to the practice squad yesterday, and today added Trenton Cannon to the active roster when they claimed the running back off waivers from the Baltimore Ravens.

Cannon was originally drafted by the New York Jets in the sixth round of the 2018 NFL Draft. He spent his first two seasons in the NFL as a member of the New York Jets. Cannon was with the Carolina Panthers last season and signed recently with the Ravens following a number of injuries at the position.

Cannon appeared in the Ravens’ week one game at the Las Vegas Raiders, carrying the ball two times for five yards and adding a tackle on special teams. For his career he has appeared in 35 games and registered 50 carries for 151 yards and one touchdown to go along with 20 receptions for 160 yards.

In addition to running back, Cannon has been a strong special teams performer with 392 of his 631 snaps coming on special teams. He has returned 16 kickoffs in his career for 414 yards with a long of 98 yards last season as a member of the Carolina Panthers.

A 27-year-old native of Hampton, VA, Cannon attended Virginia State University from 2015 to 2017. While at Virginia State he appeared in 32 games with six starts and registered 4,035 rushing yards and 44 touchdowns to go along with 48 receptions for 610 yards and seven touchdowns.

The 49ers typically like to carry four running backs on their active roster, with only three active on game day. In a surprising move, it was second-round draft pick Trey Sermon that was the inactive player for San Francisco against Detroit. It will be interesting to see if Cannon makes the active roster over Sermon due to his abilities on special teams when they travel to Philadelphia on Sunday.