Uchenna Nwosu’s knee injury is not bad enough to put him on injured reserve. At least for now.
Dee Williams, who was going to quit football forever as a high school senior in Forsythe, Georgia, until his coach Brian Nelson found him a small junior college in Mississippi to play at, is the Seattle Seaahawks’ new kickoff and punt returner.
As his Coach Nelson told The News Tribune last weekend: “Unbelievable, man.”
Starting right tackle Abe Lucas went on the physically-unable-to-perform list; he will miss the first four games of the season. Artie Burns and Marquise Blair got cut. And an undrafted rookie signed only last month made the changing offensive line — one among many moves the Seahawks made Tuesday to cut the preseason, 90-man roster and set the initial 53-man roster for the regular season.
New coach Mike Macdonald, at 37 the NFL’s youngest head man, kept two undrafted rookies on his first Seahawks roster: Williams to be Seattle’s new punt and kickoff returner and, more surprising, offensive lineman Jalen Sundell.
Sundell signed last month, one day before training camp began. He’s from North Dakota State. He moved from tackle to backup center in training camp.
Center has been a position of search all summer for Macdonald, new offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb and new line coach Scott Huff. They weren’t satisfied with 2023 draft pick Olu Oluwatimi so they signed former Miami Dolphins starter Connor Williams this month, eight months after he tore his ACL and had reconstructive knee surgery.
Macdonald has said Connor Williams is on a paced practice schedule to start the opening game Sept. 8 against Denver at Lumen Field.
Two surprising cuts on the offensive line: versatile Raiqwon O’Neal and McClendon Curtis. They were starting at one point in offseason practices. O’Neal has practiced at tackle, guard and some center for Seattle since the team claimed him off waivers during last season. Curtis, also a waiver pickup last season, played guard and tackle.
Nwosu’s status
The key outside linebacker who defends the run and pressures quarterbacks injured his knee on the opening drive of the team’s preseason finale Saturday against Cleveland. Browns starting guard Wyatt Teller jumped into Nwosu’s left knee with his helmet and shoulder pads, striking it during a pass play.
A league source confirmed to The News Tribune Monday night that Nwosu is likely to miss anywhere from two to six weeks.
Six weeks would mean past the first four games of the regular season, into October. If the Seahawks think that is going to be his recovery time they could have put Nwosu on injured reserve Tuesday. NFL rules allow up to two players per team on injured reserve to return to play after missing a minimum of four games.
The fact that Nwosu didn’t go on IR with the initial regular-season roster set Tuesday does not mean the team won’t put him on it. But it’s a sign the Seahawks’ medical and training staff believes he can return before the end of September.
Veteran quarterback cut
As expected, the Seahawks are going with two quarterbacks on the initial 53-man roster: Undisputed starter Geno Smith and backup Sam Howell.
The team released eighth-year veteran P.J. Walker, its third QB during training camp and preseason games.
Smith was clearly better and more accurate than Howell in training camp and the preseason. Howell, the Commanders starter in 2023 whom Seattle acquired in a trade with Washington this spring, was markedly better than Walker as Smith’s backup.
Dee Eskridge released
Seattle released Dee Eskridge, its top pick in the 2021 draft. The wide receiver and kick returner ran back a Cleveland punt 73 yards for a touchdown in the final preseason game Saturday. But he failed in his fourth Seahawks preseason to prove he could stay healthy or play above the third-string offense.
Eskridge played in just 24 games in his three seasons with the team. The NFL suspended him for the first six games of last season following an incident with a woman that violated the league’s personal-conduct policy.
Cornerback Tre Brown and backup offensive tackle Stone Forsythe remain on the team from that three-pick draft for Seattle during the coronavirus pandemic three years ago.
Third running back
Kenny McIntosh, the team’s seventh-round pick from Georgia last year, beat out impressive rookie free agent George Holani from Boise State to be the third running back on the roster. McIntosh is behind lead back Kenneth Walker plus Zach Charbonnet.
McIntosh was the better, more elusive runner in three preseason games. Holani was the better blocker and special-teams player. The Seahawks hope he clears waivers so they can sign him to their practice squad, but that’s not a sure thing. The waiver period ends at noon Wednesday.
After that, the team will begin building its 17-man practice squad.
Preseason star waived
No one drafted Jamie Sheriff this spring. No one signed the outside linebacker from the University of South Alabama who walked onto his junior-college team as a rookie free agent in May, June, July into August, either.
Sheriff, 24, was delivering beer near his hometown in Mississippi three weeks ago. The Seahawks signed their spring tryout player on Aug. 6. Then he had three sacks and eight quarterback pressures in three preseason games.
He’s at a position of need for the Seahawks with Nwosu’s knee injury, Dre’Mont Jones’ hamstring injury that has sidelined him for two weeks plus Seattle’s trade of outside linebacker Darrell Taylor to Chicago Friday.
“I made the most of my opportunity,” Sheriff said Saturday. “I never settled.”
The Seahawks waived him Tuesday.
They hope he clears waivers so they can sign him to their practice squad. That’s a reasonable hope, given no NFL wanted him until just Seattle three weeks ago.
