Category Archives: The roster

Blackmon out, Hawks seeking safeties; Giants want Chancellor?

September 5, 2015 cc Leave a comment

Running back is not the only position where the Seahawks are working on multiple moves.

A day after word leaked that the Hawks were signing Fred Jackson, planning to waive Robert Turbin and trying to trade Christine Michael, attention turned to the secondary.

Will Blackmon seemingly indicated that he has been released, and the Seahawks reportedly are checking into acquiring a veteran safety — while fielding calls on Kam Chancellor.

The New York Giants reportedly are the latest team — and first known club — to ask the Hawks about the holdout Pro Bowl safety. But the Hawks still don’t seem inclined yet to trade Chancellor. Nor should they be. There is still time for this to get worked out (i.e., Chancellor to return).

Meanwhile, John Schneider said Thursday that he is talking to a bunch of teams about possible trades, so word that he is checking into the safety market is no surprise.

As for Blackmon, it appears the Hawks prefer their younger, cheaper nickel corners — either Marcus Burley or rookie Tye Smith.

As expected, rookie Keenan Lambert apparently has been waived, too. Lambert is Chancellor’s half-brother.

State of the team, The roster, Trades

Hawks’ RB plans: Replace Turbin with Jackson, trade Michael

September 4, 2015 cc Leave a comment

The Seahawks were busy juggling their running back stable Friday, reportedly agreeing on a one-year deal with Fred Jackson while dangling Christine Michael in a trade and planning to waive Robert Turbin for the purpose of putting him on injured reserve.

The Hawks reportedly will waive/injured Turbin, which means he will revert to season-ending IR if no other team claims him. But, he is expected to miss only about five weeks with his high ankle sprain, so some team might be inclined to pick him up. If not, he will miss the season on Seattle’s IR.

The Hawks are taking a little gamble that Turbin will be scooped up — as they did with Michael Bowie (claimed by Cleveland) last year. But, Turbin also is scheduled to become a free agent after the season, so the risk might not be that high. Or the Hawks might not care.

If they had wanted to put him on short-term IR so he could return at midseason, they would have had to keep him as part of the 53-man roster this weekend and wait until next Tuesday to place him on IR/return (which cannot be used until the Tuesday after final cuts are made).

Meanwhile, John Schneider said Thursday that he was busy working the phones for possible trades. He didn’t mention any players, but Jason La Canfora reported Friday that the Hawks were indeed shopping Michael, the 2013 second-round pick who has not really gotten on the field.

Continue reading Hawks’ RB plans: Replace Turbin with Jackson, trade Michael →

The roster, Trades

Schneider: ‘We’re talking to clubs’ about trades

September 4, 2015 cc Leave a comment

John Schneider already has made two trades this preseason, acquiring Mohammed Seisay and sending out Kevin Norwood.

Those were the 11th and 12th trades he has made in the preseason since he arrived in 2010 — and he is looking at possibly making more in the next week.

Before the Seahawks beat Oakland in the final preseason game Thursday, Schneider told Steve Raible the Hawks are talking to other teams about potential deals.

“We have five or six guys we’re concentrating on tonight,” he said, “and comparing those guys to other players that are out there that we’re talking to other teams about.”

Continue reading Schneider: ‘We’re talking to clubs’ about trades →

Preseason, The roster

10-11 spots up for grabs

September 3, 2015 cc Leave a comment

As the Seahawks get ready for their final preseason game, at least 22 of them are playing their final game for Seattle.

NFL teams — currently at 75 players — have to get down to 53 by 1 p.m. Saturday.

The Seahawks have about 10-11 spots up for grabs, with almost half of those being hotly contested in the secondary.

Among the DBs, Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas, Cary Williams and DeShawn Shead seem like locks, with Dion Bailey very likely to make it, too.

That leaves — realistically — seven players battling for four or five secondary spots: corners Will Blackmon, Tye Smith, Tharold Simon, Marcus Burley and Mohammed Seisay and safeties Steven Terrell and Ronald “Buck” Martin.

Many assume Blackmon is a lock for the nickel role, but that’s not necessarily true. Burley and Smith can play the role as well, and they are cheaper and under club control for longer than Blackmon.

Pete Carroll said he looks forward to all of the DBs showing what they can do vs. Oakland.

“Guys are going to get significant playing time where they really can get out there on the field,” he said. “It’s going to be a big game for Tharold Simon to show where he is; he had a very good first game. This will be a very big game for Mohammed Seisay to get a chance to play finally; he’s been banged up. Will Blackmon will play a good deal of minutes.

“These guys are going to get some really significant playing time — of course, the safeties, too — so this is a very important game.”

Continue reading 10-11 spots up for grabs →

Preseason, State of the team, The roster

Preseason status report & projections: offense

August 29, 2015 cc Leave a comment

The Seahawks loved B.J. Daniels so much last year that they paid him 150 percent of the standard rate to keep him on the practice squad.

They called him up at the end of the season as a reward for his hard work on the squad, and now they are giving him every chance to make the team for real this year — as a wide receiver instead of a quarterback.

“The thought was we love him as a football player (so) let’s see if we can find a place where he can make the team and play,” Pete Carroll said. “He wants to get on the 53, so lengthy discussion back and forth really allowed us to get to that thinking: Let’s give it a shot. So he went for it in the offseason, which he needed all of that time just to kind of get acclimated, and we’ve continued on with him. He’s doing a good job and playing well in the games.”

Seattle values versatility as much as any team in the NFL, and Daniels scores points there with his ability to play wide receiver, kick returner and quarterback.

“Yeah, it’s the more you can do,” Carroll said. “That’s a real motto in the league, and he’s an example of it. I love that he covers kickoffs so aggressively too.

“He’s shown a lot of good things, got a lot of natural ability. He’s a very, very competitive kid. We like the heck out of him, and the fact that he can play quarterback is huge. Who else can do that? It’s rare to have a guy like that.”

The Seahawks have to cut the roster from 90 to 75 by Tuesday and then to 53 four days later.

Here’s a look at the offense heading into today’s game in San Diego:

Continue reading Preseason status report & projections: offense →

Preseason, State of the team, The roster

Preseason status report & projections: Defense

August 28, 2015 cc Leave a comment

The secondary is one of the Seahawks’ most competitive spots this summer, but most of the competition has been missing the past week or so thanks to a
legion of boo-boos.

In Kansas City, the Hawks were without seven of their 11 cornerbacks and had only four safeties available. It was so bad that DeShawn Shead moved from safety to start at corner and fifth-round rookie Tye Smith played almost the entire game.

Shead and Smith both took advantage of their chances, drawing praise from coach Pete Carroll after playing tight coverage throughout the game.

Now it’s time for the rest of the corners to get their chances when the Seahawks play the Chargers in San Diego on Saturday night. Richard Sherman, Will Blackmon and Tharold Simon all are expected to play — with Blackmon needing to nail down the nickel job and Simon needing to prove he should be on the team (forget about starting).

Meanwhile, safety Earl Thomas apparently is on track to be ready for the opener in St. Louis on Sept. 13.

“Earl got a lot of work this week. He’s getting ready to be in shape to play for the opener,” Carroll said. “His timing is getting down, his calls, you can see him fitting in, his intensity that he brings is starting to show up. That’s important.”

The Seahawks have to cut the roster from 90 to 75 by Tuesday and then to 53 four days later.

Here’s a look at the defense heading into the third preseason game:

Continue reading Preseason status report & projections: Defense →

State of the team, The roster, Training camp

Don’t worry about the offensive line

August 12, 2015 cc Leave a comment

Okung and Cable — Tom Cable watches his linemen drill (Seahawks.com)

Good offensive lines typically are
defined by the four C’s: continuity, consistency, cohesion, camaraderie.

But, the Seahawks get by most of the time with just one C: Cable.

That’s why there’s no reason to be worried about Seattle’s offensive line — despite the uncertainty at center and left guard this year and left tackle and right guard next year. As always, Tom Cable will hook it up.

Continue reading Don’t worry about the offensive line →

Contracts, State of the team, The roster

Hawks had to cut someone; now, what about Chancellor?

August 3, 2015 cc Leave a comment

Once the Seahawks signed Russell Wilson and Bobby Wagner to their megadeals, it was obvious someone probably was going to get cut.

While Brandon Mebane (and his $5.5 million salary) had been the rumored candidate for months, it turned out to be Tony McDaniel, whose release added $3 million to the $2 million or so the Hawks had left under this year’s cap. They typically like to have at least $4 million in reserve for practice squad and injury replacements during the season.

Pete Carroll was not happy to lose the 30-year-old McDaniel, who had been a key member of Seattle’s top-seven run defense in each of the past two Super Bowl seasons.

“It is a significant loss,” Carroll said. “Tony has been a really good core player for us, and we really liked him and what he’s brought to our club. This decision sucks, but you know we had to do something. Maybe there’s a chance we can get him back someday; I don’t know how that will work. Unfortunately, that’s what had to happen today.”

It weakens the depth on a defensive line that had looked pretty stout, especially at tackle, and means Mebane and Ahtyba Rubin will have to carry the weight as the run stoppers.

The next immediate roster concern is holdout safety Kam Chancellor.

Continue reading Hawks had to cut someone; now, what about Chancellor? →

The roster, Trades, Training camp

Schneider loves trading with Mayhew’s Lions

August 2, 2015 cc Leave a comment

John Schneider loves trading with the Detroit Lions.

His deal Sunday to acquire cornerback Mohammed Seisay for a 2016 sixth-round pick was his seventh trade with Lions general manager Martin Mayhew since Schneider became Seattle’s GM in 2010.

It was his 35th trade overall and his third this year — although it pales in comparison to the deals for Jimmy Graham and Tyler Lockett.

Continue reading Schneider loves trading with Mayhew’s Lions →

CHAWK LINES, The roster, Training camp

August 2, 2015 cc Leave a comment

Some observations from Day 3 of camp from those who were there:

In the wake of the big deals signed by Russell Wilson and Bobby Wagner, someone was going to have to go to give the Hawks a little more cap space for this season — they were around $2 million and need to be around $4 million. Rather than cut Brandon Mebane, as had been rumored for months, the Seahawks released fellow defensive tackle Tony McDaniel instead. The move adds $3 million to Seattle’s cap, giving them comfort for the season.

The Hawks — short on cornerbacks with Jeremy Lane and Tharold Simon out — also acquired Mohammed Seisay from the Detroit Lions for a 2016 sixth-round pick.

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