Kasen Williams

Seahawks Confirm McCray Trade, Set Roster

The Seahawks have confirmed one of their two recently-reported acquisitions, announcing that they’ve traded for safety Kelcie McCray, sending a fifth-round draft pick to the Chiefs in the swap, as we heard earlier. According to Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (via Twitter), the deal for McCray is a public sign of what the team has privately told Kam Chancellor: Seattle isn’t willing to negotiate with him.

We’re still awaiting official word on Seattle’s reported agreement with running back Fred Jackson, so an additional cut will be required when that move is finalized. For now though, the Seahawks are down to 53 players. Via a team release, here’s how they got there:

Released:

  • CB Will Blackmon
  • TE Anthony McCoy

Waived:

  • LB Tyrell Adams
  • TE Rashaun Allen
  • QB R.J. Archer
  • DE Obum Gwacham
  • S Keenan Lambert
  • S Ronald Martin
  • DT T.Y. McGill
  • CB Douglas McNeil
  • OL Keavon Milton
  • S Ryan Murphy
  • OL Will Pericak
  • LB Eric Pinkins
  • OL Terry Poole
  • LB Alex Singleton
  • WR Kevin Smith
  • RB Rod Smith
  • DE Julius Warmsley
  • WR Kasen Williams

Placed on injured reserve:

  • CB Mohammed Seisay
  • RB Robert Turbin

Placed on reserve/non-football illness list:

  • DT Jesse Williams

Minor Moves: Monday

Today’s minor moves..

  • The Chiefs signed offensive lineman Tavon Rooks, agent Richard Kopelman tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter).
  • The 49ers signed center/guard Ben Gottschalk to a two-year deal while signing kicker Corey Acosta and wide receiver Mario Hull to three year deals, Wilson tweets. To help make room, Darius Davis has been waived (link).
  • The Chargers have signed undrafted rookie offensive tackle Forrestal Hickman, according to a league source who spoke with Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post. Hickman, who stands at 6’8″ and 315 pounds, tried out for the Chargers during their rookie minicamp. The Missouri Science and Tech product was an all-conference selection last season.
  • The 49ers released tackle/guard Chris Martin, according to agent Brett Tessler (on Twitter). Martin finished last season on San Francisco’s practice squad, but the agent says that the team simply had too many similar guys already on the roster.
  • The Jets announced that they have waived/injured tight end Zach Sudfeld, who suffered a torn ACL, as Brian Costello of the New York Post tweets. In his stead, the Jets have inked tight end Steve Maneri.
  • The Seahawks waived/injured defensive end Ryan Robinson, according to Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times (on Twitter). Condotta assumes that the Seahawks are hoping that he’ll pass through waivers, allowing them to stash him on IR.
  • The Packers have waived rookie guard Marcus Reed, according to Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Reed was signed as a UDFA last month. Green Bay currently has 89 players on the roster.
  • The Seahawks signed wide receiver Kasen Williams, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (on Twitter).

Minor Moves: Friday

Here are Friday’s minor transactions from around the NFL:

  • The Lions claimed quarterback Garrett Gilbert from the Patriots earlier today, reports Howard Balzer of LockerDome.com (via Twitter). The team released quarterback Anthony Boone, according to Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com (via Twitter).
  • The Seahawks have signed wide receiver Kasen Williams, according to John Boyle of Seahawks.com (via Twitter). The team waived linebacker Mister Alexander to make room for Williams, who announced the signing on his Instagram account.
  • Wide receiver Zach D’Orazio was waived by the Patriots, and passed through waivers unclaimed, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter).
  • While the Buccaneers might have landed recently released tight end Tim Wright, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports is interested to see the full list of teams who put in waiver claims for him (via Twitter). He adds that the Jets were one team that did.
  • In order for the Buccaneers to make room for Wright on the roster, the team has waived tight end Taylor Sloat, according to Jenna Laine of SportsTalkFlorida.com (via Twitter).
  • The Jets have signed former USC Trojan and Saints offensive tackle Charles Brown after they wrapped up their full-squad minicamp, reports Randy Lange of NewYorkJets.com. The team cut offensive tackle Sean Hooey to make room for the former second-round pick.
  • Hooey wouldn’t be unemployed for very long, as the 49ers claimed him off waivers from the Jets, according to Wilson (via Twitter).

Seahawks Notes: T. Jackson, Archer, Bennett

While contract talks between the Seahawks and Russell Wilson seem to be stalled, Seattle is interested in continuing negotiations with another quarterback: backup Tarvaris Jackson. We heard last month that the club was still talking with the 31-year-old Jackson, and today head coach Pete Carroll told reporters, including Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times (Twitter link), that the Seahawks want to bring Jackson back.

Here’s more from the Pacific Northwest, with all links going to Condotta’s Twitter account unless otherwise noted:

  • If Seattle isn’t able to reach an agreement with Jackson, fellow quarterback R.J. Archer, who owns a 90-man roster spot, could see more time, and Carroll praised the play of Archer today. The 27-year-old Archer, who has spent most of his professional career in the CFL, has never appeared in an NFL game.
  • Carroll said that he has no concerns about the status of defensive lineman Michael Bennett. Bennett recently stated that though he wouldn’t mind a salary increase, he isn’t angling for a trade as was previously reported.
  • Receivers coach Kippy Brown is in the process of retiring, and assistant quarterbacks coach Dave Canales will take over his role. Canales has been with the Seahawks since 2013.
  • Several tryout players earned praise from the Seattle staff, including receiver Kasen Williams, and offensive linemen Kona Schwenke and Jesse Davis (Twitter link via Terry Blount of ESPN.com). As both scribes note, any of the aforementioned players could be favorites to land a contract in the coming days.