Seahawks add another cornerback, a new backup QB, have first West Point grad on a roster
The Seahawks’ cornerback trials continue.
They have a new backup quarterback, for now.
And they have their first West Point graduate to ever be on a Seattle roster.
The Seahawks initial 53-man roster changed on day two of the regular season Wednesday, as it does on day two of every year. The team claimed off waivers center Dakoda Shepley from San Francisco and the University of British Columbia. Seattle also claimed cornerback Nigel Warrior off waiver from Baltimore.
To make room on the active roster, the Seahawks waived guard Phil Haynes, their fourth-round pick in 2019, and released quarterback Sean Mannion.
Shepley was an undrafted rookie with the New York Jets in 2017. The Jets waived him in 2018. That year, he was the fifth-overall pick in the Canadian Football League draft, by the Saskatchewan Roughriders. He spent this summer and training camp with the 49ers.
He’s played center, guard and tackle, though it was noticeable the Seahawks list him as a center. He becomes an option, for now, behind starter Kyle Fuller and three-position backup Ethan Pocic.
Shepley’s arrival and Haynes’ departure means the Seahawks still have 11 offensive linemen, as opposed to just two healthy tight ends (Gerald Everett and Will Dissly) and four wide receivers (DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, Freddie Swain and top rookie draft choice Dee Eskridge) on the 53-man roster.
Seattle may not play its opener Sept. 12 at Indianapolis with 11 offensive linemen.
Warrior played right cornerback with the Ravens this preseason. The Seahawks have had D.J. Reed and Tre Flowers playing right cornerback through training camp and preseason games. Reed said Tuesday coaches this week moved him to left cornerback. That’s where Ahkello Witherspoon had been starting and rookie draft pick Tre Brown had been playing.
Brown got hurt two weeks ago, though coach Pete Carroll said Friday the rookie will be ready for the opener.
Signing Warrior to the active roster shows the Seahawks aren’t done finding cornerbacks to replace departed 2020 starters Shaquill Griffin and Quinton Dunbar. Seattle traded last week with Houston for second-year cornerback John Reid. Reid is now on the Seahawks’ practice squad.
Wednesday, the Seahawks made official their trade of a sixth-round pick to Jacksonville to add former University of Washington cornerback Sidney Jones. That trade had been known for days.
The Seahawks claimed off waivers from Jacksonville quarterback Jake Luton, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. Luton will replace Mannion, another former Oregon State quarterback, as Seattle’s third quarterback.
That spot seems to be a placeholder on the roster, available to waive and put on the practice squad when a need to sign a player at another position comes up.
The Seahawks set their initial practice squad Wednesday. All 14 are players the team had in training camp then cleared waivers Tuesday.
Jon Rhattigan signed to the practice squad. The West Point graduate becomes the first player from Army on a Seahawks roster. His deferment from serving the U.S. Army on active duty as an infantry officer continues.
Two open spots remain on Seattle’s 16-man practice squad, plus an exemption for German linebacker Aaron Donkor as part of the NFL’s international player development program.
The Seahawks’ practice squad has four wide receivers, available to augment the four on the active roster for any game.
Last year the NFL liberalized its practice-squad rules, allowing veterans of any experience onto them for the first time. Teams can also sign onto the active roster one or two practice-squad players as 54th and 55th players on the roster for each game and then return them to the practice squad without those promoted having to pass through league waivers, as they had previously.
A team can do those promotion signings for a game twice to a practice-squad player in a season before it has to either sign him to the active roster or offer him free agency.
This story was originally published September 1, 2021 at 2:43 PM.
