Bo Melton

Wednesday NFL Transactions: NFC West

Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline Tuesday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters. In addition to waiver claims, teams can begin constructing their 16-man practice squads today. These 49ersCardinals, Rams and Seahawks moves are noted below.

Here are Wednesday’s NFC West transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day.

Arizona Cardinals

Claimed:

Waived:

Signed to practice squad:

Los Angeles Rams

Signed to practice squad:

San Francisco 49ers

Signed:

Claimed:

Placed on IR:

Released from IR:

Signed to practice squad:

Seattle Seahawks

Signed:

Claimed:

Waived:

  • LB Joshua Onujiogu

Placed on IR:

Reverted to IR:

Signed to practice squad:

Seahawks Make Final Cuts, Hope To Re-Sign CB Justin Coleman

Joining the rest of the NFL, the Seahawks made their round of cuts Tuesday. Here is how the NFC West squad reached the 53-man max:

Released:

Waived:

Waived/injured:

Placed on IR:

After agreeing to return to Seattle this offseason, Coleman worked as the team’s starting nickel during the preseason. The veteran slot’s second Seattle stint may not be through, despite being released. Pete Carroll pointed to Coleman being brought back. Roster moves after trims to 53 frequently result in vested vets returning; Coleman certainly appears in the team’s plans.

Justin is a really good football player and hopefully this isn’t where we’re done with him,” Carroll said, via the Seattle Times’ Bob Condotta.

Coleman, who played for the Seahawks in 2017-18, returned to the Pacific Northwest on a one-year deal with just $153K guaranteed. He has been expected to man the slot alongside starters Sidney Jones and Artie Burns. Jones, however, has run into more injury trouble. The former Washington Huskies standout did not play in the Seahawks’ preseason slate, and Carroll confirmed the team’s top corner is still dealing with the effects of a concussion sustained Aug. 3. The team has not ruled out Jones playing in its opener, but a short-term IR stint may also be on tap.

A former first-round talent who suffered a pre-draft injury that dropped him to Round 2 in 2017, Jones found his footing again after being traded to Seattle in 2021. He started 11 games for the Seahawks, who then lost a starting corner in free agency for the second straight offseason (D.J. Reed, Jets). In addition to Jones, Carroll said cornerback John Reid is dealing with an injury. After aggravating a groin injury in the Seahawks’ preseason finale, the third-year defender may also be a short-term IR candidate

While Coleman was in Detroit and Miami, Blair spent some time at nickel. But the former second-round pick saw knee injuries end his past two seasons. He was unable to gain traction as a safety during camp, with Condotta adding the Seahawks had stopped using him in the slot. The Seahawks kept rookie UDFA Joey Blount as a fifth safety instead. The Seahawks listed Arcega-Whiteside, obtained in a trade for DB Ugo Amadi this month, as a receiver. The Eagles had tried the disappointing draftee at tight end this offseason.

Seattle 7th-Round WRs Grinding For Roster Spots

The Seahawks used the final round of the 2022 NFL Draft to bring in some potential depth at wide receiver, drafting Bo Melton out of Rutgers and Dareke Young out of Lenoir-Rhyne. While Melton and Young still face a bit of an uphill battle to make the final 53-man roster, they’ll get a true look throughout the preseason, according to ESPN’s Brady Henderson.

Melton’s numbers out of Rutgers will not jump off of the page. In his best season, Melton caught 47 passes for 638 yards and six touchdowns, adding two more scores on the ground with 6 rushes for 69 yards. The lack of eye-popping statistics may be more a reflection of the players around Melton than a reflection of his own ability, as Rutgers hasn’t been known for top-tier quarterback play in recent years. Still, Melton led the Scarlet Knights in receiving yards in each of the last three years, accumulating 132 catches for 1,683 yards and 11 touchdowns over that span.

Young is a bit of a project out of Lenoir-Rhyne. Due to COVID-19 and injury, Young has only played in seven games over the last two seasons. In the five games he appeared in last year, he caught 25 balls for 303 yards and four touchdowns, including an eight-catch, 160-yard, three-touchdown performance vs Mars Hill in September. The numbers in this shortened season nearly match the numbers from the two full, fourteen-game seasons he played in 2018 and 2019, showing the tremendous potential for what a matured Young could’ve accomplished in one more full season with the Bears.

Both Melton and Young have impressed throughout the offseason in Seattle. In the team’s preseason loss to the Steelers this past Saturday, the two led the receiving group, Melton with 2 receptions for 47 yards and Young with 4 catches for 30 yards and a touchdown.

While the top-two spots atop the depth chart are set in stone with Tyler Lockett and D.K. Metcalf, injuries to others in the receiving corps should allow Melton and Young plenty of opportunities to earn their roster spots. Freddie Swain was expected to come into the season as the No. 3 wide receiver after finishing third in the room in receiving yards last year. After struggling for much of camp, though, Swain was recently sidelined with a minor injury, leaving the door slightly ajar for someone to overtake him. Free agent addition Marquise Goodwin has stood out so far in camp, giving him a real chance to work his way into the starting group, but he, too, was sidelined recently with an injury. Meanwhile, second-year receiver D’Wayne Eskridge has struggled to stay on the field and is still recovering from injuries in an attempt to return to play.

The absences of Swain, Goodwin, and Eskridge in the preseason will provide Melton and Young ample playing time with the starting offense. This by no means guarantees that they will cement themselves on the final roster, but, similarly, if they continue to perform, Swain, Goodwin, and Eskridge may not want to get too comfortable. It can be difficult for a seventh-round pick to make the 53-man roster as a rookie, but these two pass catchers are getting a prime chance to beat the odds.

NFL Draft Pick Signings: 5/6/22

Here are the latest draft pick signings:

Baltimore Ravens

Chicago Bears 

Green Bay Packers

Kansas City Chiefs

Philadelphia Eagles

Seattle Seahawks

  • DB Tariq Woolen (fifth round, Texas-San Antonio)
  • LB Tyreke Smith (fifth round, Ohio State)
  • WR Bo Melton (seventh round, Rutgers)
  • WR Dareke Young (seventh round, Lenoir-Rhyne)

Washington Commanders