The Seahawks announced that they have placed fullback Derrick Coleman on season-ending injured reserve, tweets Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times. Taking his place on the 53-man roster will be wide receiver Phil Bates, who has been promoted from the practice squad.
The news is unfortunate, but not unexpected, after it was learned that Coleman suffered a broken foot during warmups on Sunday. Coleman, who celebrated his 24th birthday last week, has been with Seattle since 2012. He’s used mostly to block, but he does have 10 receptions for 91 yards to his credit, along with two rushing attempts.
Bates, 25, has been yo-yo’d quite a bit by the Seahawks this season between being waived and shuttled back and forth from the taxi squad. Still, he has been compensated pretty well for his troubles. Bates saw his weekly practice squad salary bumped from $6,300 to $7,300 per week in late September and he’s one of just a few NFL players to make more than the minimum on the practice squad.
While Bates will get the spot on the active roster, L.J. Fort may get an opportunity at some point soon. Fort has spent his career at linebacker but Seattle signed him to the practice squad this week, apparently with the intention of using him as a fullback. For his part, he said that he is enjoying the challenge and is adapting quickly.