Seahawks continue to clean kick-return house, waive Dee Williams, add veteran returner
It’s become obvious Mike Macdonald isn’t very tolerant of consistently poor performance.
One day after Laviska Shenault fumbled two kickoff returns last weekend, the coach and his Seahawks waived Shenault. Four days after rookie Dee Williams also fumbled away a kickoff as part of Seattle gifting the New York Jets two of their three touchdowns in the first half of a game the first-place Seahawks had to rally to win over the 3-9 Jets, Seattle waived Williams Thursday.
Williams also has fumbled two punts in 15 returns this season.
The Seahawks claimed off waivers from Cleveland kickoff and punt returner Jaelon Darden. He has returned 22 punts and four kickoffs this season for the Browns.
The 5-foot-8, 175-pound Darden was Tampa Bay’s primary kickoff and punt returner in 2021 as a rookie from North Texas, and for most of the 2022 season.
Darden, 25, has returned 78 punts and 27 kickoffs in his four-year NFL career — without a muff or fumble.
The Seahawks’ coaching staff has some familiarity with Darden from having prepared a scouting report on him for their kick-coverage teams before Seattle played Cleveland in the final preseason game Aug. 24 at Lumen Field this past summer.
“A guy who has game experience and has documented evidence of being tough to tackle. Makes sound decisions,” Seahawks special-teams coach Jay Harbaugh said following a busy practice Thursday trying out more in-house options as returner before Darden arrives in Seattle.
“A guy who is an exciting person to have back there,” Harbaugh said.
“He has a chance to give us a spark out there.”
Superstitiously, Harbaugh didn’t want to comment on how sure-handed Darden has been in the NFL.
But that was a factor in claiming him, as well.
“One door closes,” Harbaugh said of waiving Williams and Shenault, “and another one opens.”
Harbaugh said of the two return teams punt return is more “plug and play” for Darden to be able to arrive Friday and do that job Sunday against the Cardinals.
Kickoff returning with its more options for blocking schemes may be a more likely job for Darden next week, for Seattle’s home game against Green Bay.
That leaves this week’s experiment of the Seahawks trying number-two running back Zach Charbonnet as a kickoff returner still in play. Charbonnet has been doing that at the start of practices this week.
Number-three running back Kenny McIntosh and reserve wide receiver Cody White joined Charbonnet fielding kicks at the start of practice Thursday, three days before Seattle (7-5) plays at Arizona (6-6) for the NFC West lead.
Four games remain in the regular season after Sunday’s game in Glendale, Arizona (1:05 p.m., channel 7).
Asked Wednesday about his situations at kickoff and punt returner, Macdonald said: “I’d say both returner spots and the punt and the kickoff return game, we’re working through still. So, we don’t have an answer quite yet. We have some people that we’re going to be working at those spots, Dee included.
“I just don’t have an answer for you exactly what we’re going to do right now.”
This story was originally published December 5, 2024 at 2:38 PM.
