Pete Carroll hints at more roster movement for Seahawks after cuts
RENTON, WASHINGTON - JULY 29: L.J. Collier #91 of the Seattle Seahawks warms up at Training Camp on July 29, 2021 in Renton, Washington. (Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images)
RENTON, Wash. - Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll hinted at more roster movement to come after the team named its initial 53-man roster on Tuesday.
Most notably, Carroll hinted that defensive lineman L.J. Collier could end up on injured reserve, cornerback Justin Coleman could return to the roster after being released, and other players may not be ready to play by the season opener on September 12 against the Denver Broncos.
"There's moving parts," Carroll said.
Coleman was perhaps the most notable name cut during the moves on Tuesday to trim the roster to 53 players from the 80-man training camp maximum. As a veteran, Coleman doesn't have to pass through waivers and immediately becomes a free agent. He had been the team's starting nickel cornerback throughout the preseason after re-signing with the team this spring.
"Justin is a really good football player and hopefully this isn't, you know, where we're done with him," Carroll said.
In order for a player to be eligible to return from injured reserve during the season, they have to make it through the final wave of roster cuts. Linebacker Tyreke Smith, who was placed on injured reserve on Tuesday, will not be eligible to return this season. Coleman's release could potentially be a way to buy a roster spot for Collier for a day before moving him to injured reserve and preserving his ability to return to the roster after four games. Seattle could re-sign Coleman as soon as Wednesday if that's the scenario.
Collier injured his elbow in the team's mock game scrimmage at Lumen Field earlier this month. He has yet to return to the practice field.
"He's still got still got issues with his elbow getting back. He's not back yet," Carroll said of Collier.
Another player who could end up on injured reserve is cornerback John Reid, who made the team's roster as well. Reid has been sidelined throughout camp with a groin injury and aggravated the issue is last Friday's preseason finale in Dallas.
"He aggravated his soft tissue thing and so we'll have to wait and see how he goes. He's not going to be ready, like, he's not ready to practice today," Carroll said.
The Seahawks did not attempt to float Smith through on the roster to get to injured reserve and preserve his availability for this year. Smith has missed all but two days of training camp with multiple hip issues that just weren't improving.
"It just looked like it wasn't, it hadn't turned," Carroll said. "It was gonna take some time. We also thought it would be great opportunity for him to develop and get right for the long haul."
Players that were waived by teams on Tuesday can be claimed by other teams by Wednesday's 9 a.m. deadline. The waiver wire goes in reverse order of record from last season so the Seahawks will have the 10th spot in the order.
Coleman is a free agent and could choose to sign elsewhere if he gets an offer he prefers. If Seattle can't get Coleman back, Carroll said they saw plenty of good things from rookie Coby Bryant at the spot this preseason.
"Coby is ready to play," Carroll said. "At this stage he can only be as ready as he is, but he can play for us and we would expect him to make things happen and do good stuff just like he does when he plays football. It's like it's not new to him anymore and then he's comfortable with it, but he'll get a lot better. He'll be able to take advantage of the calls and a looks and the disguises and all that kind of stuff as he grows."
If Collier and Reid are moved to injured reserve, and Coleman is re-signed, that would leave a roster spot open. Presumably, the Seahawks will be looking for depth at linebacker on the waiver wire as they are only carrying three off-ball linebackers at the moment in Jordyn Brooks, Cody Barton and Nick Bellore.
Two players of note that did make the roster were undrafted rookie safety Joey Blount and defensive end Joshua Onujiogu. Blount went undrafted out of the University of Virginia. Onujiogu went undrated from Division III Framingham State in Massachusetts.
"Joey had a great camp," Carroll said. "He just had a great camp and he made plays in special teams, which was really where it started. I mean, It's a classic illustration of a guy making some noise on teams and so we looked at him to see can he also support and help us at a position and he did a really good job at that as well. But I can give it to him as it was special teams that really won him his spot.
"Josh just was really consistent and brought it and did a nice job and surprised us that he was able to stay in the competition all throughout this time. And we've got a couple of guys here that we're looking at that we've got to make sure everybody's healthy and all that stuff as well, but congratulations to both those guys.
"Joey and Josh, those guys are great examples of guys that just they just put their head down and competed their tails off and they showed that they've got the right kind of makeup to help your club. Whereas they might not have the numbers or they might not have the place they came from or wherever that boosts their opportunity, these guys, fortunately for them, they're both healthy and stayed out there and were able to show us and they played a lot in games too. They got a lot of game time."
Here's a quick rundown of other items of note from Carroll:
– On Marquise Blair not making the team: "He's a really good ballplayer and a tough kid and all that. In one sense, you know, it's hard to break in here. You know, we've got really good players and he's a guy that wants to play the game and as much as anybody, very intense about it, and so this really gives him an opportunity to have a chance to start somewhere in the end. So, you know, he's a nice ballplayer man, he's tough as hell and we loved him. So we're wishing him the very best and the door's always open."
– On Freddie Swain not making the team: "Freddie's a heck of a kid and I love the kid and there's tough choices that we have to make but the competition is really that which settles that for us in the end and other guys did a good job."
– On defensive end Alton Robinson (knee): "He's still sore. He's not back yet. He's got a chance to make it by the opener but it's not able to go yet, not able to run around on it. I think he's in the pool and stuff like that. He landed, on a play that he was making, he landed on his knee in a position it jams the PCL and so he's got a sprained PCL and he's really sore from it, but it's not going to be a serious long-term injury but it's bothering him right now."
– On linebacker Boye Mafe (shoulder): "He was running today. He was out there. He's in pretty good shape to make a bid for coming back two weeks from now so it looks promising that he'll be okay."
– On cornerback Sidney Jones IV (concussion): "They won't let him practice yet. He feels fine, he can run and do everything but he hasn't been cleared yet. So he's still getting clear from the docs. The symptoms didn't just flat out go away and that's what we're looking at, you know, does he have symptoms still? And until he's symptom clear they're gonna take care of him and he's got to clear some days past that as well. So we're just trying to do everything right and give him a chance to play the first game."
– On right tackle Jake Curhan (elbow): "Jake's tough as nails and I can't imagine that's gonna hold him from being part of the game opening night but he's gonna miss a couple days here."
– On right tackle Abe Lucas (knee): "Yeah, he's got a little bit of an old knee thing that's bothering him. He's got some tendinitis. So we just rested him."
– On left guard Damien Lewis (ankle): "Yeah, Damien is doing well, quite well. He's running in the pool and doing some stuff and he's really encouraged that he's gonna be able to make it back. We'll see. Gotta see. It's with the player's thinking."
– On running back Ken Walker III (hernia): "This is a really uncharted territory for him and for us too in that regard what he's coming back from. He feels way better. He's moving around. He's throwing a football around today. It's just going to be one day at a time. I told him I started punched him in the stomach here pretty soon, you know, a couple days now to get him ready."
– On running back Rashaad Penny being back from COVID-19: "Yeah. He wouldn't back out if he wasn't."
– On safety Ryan Neal (high-ankle sprain): "He's really close. He's really close. He thinks he can go. We've got to see. You have to prove it, of course. Probably not till next week though."