Seahawks sign 15 to practice squad, including young preseason standouts--and a veteran
Some summer standouts and a Lakes High School Lancer are back with the Seahawks, a day after “leaving” them.
Seattle signed 15 players to its practice squad Wednesday. All of them were with the team in the just-concluded preseason, as coach Pete Carroll had said last weekend he wanted.
And the machinations of NFL roster creation and management figure to continue up to the team’s opening game Sept. 10 against the Los Angeles Rams.
None of the players the Seahawks waived Tuesday among final preseason roster cuts from 90 to the regular-season limit of 53 players got claimed in the league’s waiver period that ended Wednesday morning. That meant all those Seattle waived could then sign back to the practice squad.
So the Seahawks brought back to their practice squad edge rusher Levi Bell, defensive tackle Matt Gotel from Lakes High, fast rookie wide receiver Matt Landers, third quarterback Holton Ahlers, cornerback Lance Boykin, undrafted rookie running back SaRodorick Thompson, safety Ty Okada, running back Bryant Koback, linebacker Patrick O’Connell, third center Joey Hunt, guard-tackle Greg Eiland, fourth tight end Tyler Mabry and wide receiver Easop Winston Jr. from Washington State.
The Seahawks also moved veteran cornerback Artie Burns onto the practice squad.
They had waived Burns and linebacker Jon Rhattigan from Army earlier Wednesday to make roster space for Seattle’s two waiver claims: rookie linebacker Drake Thomas (cut Tuesday by Las Vegas) and rookie cornerback Kyu Kelly (a fifth-round pick waived Tuesday by Baltimore). Thomas and Kelly went onto the active roster.
Because Burns, 28, is a vested veteran with seven accrued seasons in the league he was not subject to waivers. The former first-round draft choice by Pittsburgh signed as a free agent to Seattle’s practice squad.
Seattle had one place remaining on its practice squad as of the start of its on-field workout Wednesday afternoon.
Carroll said following the team’s final preseason game at Green Bay Saturday his goal was to have all 16 players on the Seahawks’ practice squad come from players who were in training camp and preseason games with the team.
“The bulk of these guys are going to be with us,” Carroll said before cutting 90 down to 53 Tuesday. “And I love that, because these guys are connected. They know how we play, what we expect, how we prepare ... and that’s only going to make us better.”
The next roster moves could be players on the initial 53-man active roster going on injured reserve with the opportunities to return after missing a minimum of four games. Edge rusher Darrell Taylor (injured shoulder since the first days of August), wide receivers Dareke Young (possible abdominal surgery), Cody Thompson (shoulder) and rookie defensive lineman Mike Morris (shoulder) have been missing from practice for weeks.
