NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/13/21
Here are Wednesday’s practice squad moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: CB Kevin Peterson, LB Joe Walker
Chicago Bears
- Signed: OLB Ledarius Mack, G Dareuan Parker, LB Rashad Smith
Houston Texans
- Signed: DT Michael Dwumfour
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: DB Tony Brown, T Dan Skipper
- Released: DB Robert Jackson
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: LB Nate Hall
- Released: DL Andrew Brown
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: TE Luke Stocker
- Released: OL Zack Bailey
New England Patriots
- Signed: S Sean Davis
New York Giants
- Signed: T Devery Hamilton
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: CB Linden Stephens
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: QB Danny Etling
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: LB Dylan Cole, DT Kyle Peko
Washington Football Team
- Signed: DB Cole Luke
- Released: K Chris Blewitt
Seahawks Working Out QB Blake Bortles
With Russell Wilson set to miss starts for the first time in his NFL tenure, the Seahawks are shorthanded at quarterback behind starter Geno Smith. They brought in a veteran for a workout Tuesday.
Blake Bortles made the trip to Seattle for an audition, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. Bortles has been out of football since the Packers cut him earlier this year.
The Packers released Bortles at the outset of their training camp, doing so after Aaron Rodgers reported to the team. Bortles has bounced around since his scrutinized run as the Jaguars’ starting quarterback ended after the 2018 season. The former No. 3 overall pick has spent time with the Rams, Broncos and Packers since the Jags cut him in 2019.
Seattle has only Smith on its active roster at quarterback. The team has preferred to carry only two passers during much of Wilson’s career. That strategy made sense given Wilson’s durability. But the finger injury he suffered in Week 5 will bring his 149-start streak to an end, moving Smith into the QB1 seat. The Seahawks have second-year QB Jake Luton on their practice squad.
Seahawks To Waive CB Tre Flowers
The Seahawks are moving on from cornerback Tre Flowers, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The fourth-year defender will land on waivers midway through his contract year.
This move comes at Flowers’ request, per Rapoport. The Seahawks stationed Flowers as a starter during the season’s first three games but relegated him to a special teams-only participant in Weeks 4 and 5. Flowers had been with the Seahawks since being drafted in the 2018 fifth round.
Despite being a Day 3 draftee, Flowers began his career as a full-time starter with Seattle. He and Shaquill Griffin lined up as the team’s primary first-string corners in 2018 and ’19. The Seahawks drafted Flowers shortly after releasing Richard Sherman. Flowers, however, lost his starting gig last year. He regained it in Week 1, months after the Seahawks let Griffin defect to the Jaguars in free agency.
Pro Football Focus has not viewed Flowers’ work in a favorable light since his rookie season, rating him outside the top 80 at cornerback in each of the ensuing three years. While this season still has a ways to go, Flowers not being able to crack a Seahawks rotation — during a season in which the team ranks last in total defense — has further reduced his stock. Flowers, 26, has not played a defensive snap since Week 3.
The Seahawks, who rank 30th in pass defense, moved Sidney Jones into their starting lineup in Week 4 opposite D.J. Reed. The team acquired Jones, a former Washington Husky, via trade from the Jaguars just before the season.
Minor NFL Transactions: 10/11/21
Today’s minor moves:
Baltimore Ravens
- Promoted: OT Andre Smith, DB Jordan Richards
Seattle Seahawks
- Designated for return: C Ethan Pocic
Latest On Seahawks’ Russell Wilson
Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson underwent two surgeries to repair his right middle finger, per an announcement from the team. No timetable was given for his recovery, but the Seahawks say “it is highly anticipated that he will return to play later this season.” 
“Russell Wilson injured his right middle finger during last night’s game versus the Rams,” the statement read. “He sustained two injuries to the finger: an extensor tendon rupture (mallet finger) and a comminuted fracture-dislocation of the proximal interphalangeal joint. He had successful surgery today in Los Angeles by hand specialist Dr. Steven Shin…to repair both injuries. He will start therapy this weekend and it is highly anticipated that he will return to play later this season.”
Dr. Shin echoed those sentiments, adding that he is “fully confident” that Wilson will return this year. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com initially reported that Wilson will be out for about six weeks (Twitter link), though Adam Schefter of ESPN.com hears that Wilson could miss as little as four weeks and could return for Seattle’s Week 10 matchup against the Packers.
One way or another, Wilson’s ironman streak will end at 149 games. The Seahawks will now turn things over to Geno Smith, beginning with their Week 6 tilt against the Steelers. After losing to the Rams, the 2-3 Seahawks are in last place in the NFC West.
Seahawks Preparing For Extended Russell Wilson Absence
Russell Wilson‘s finger injury looks likely to stop his start streak at 149. The Seahawks are bracing for at least a four-week absence for their perennial Pro Bowl quarterback, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter).
Aiming to prioritize Wilson’s long-term health, the Seahawks are prepared to sit their future Hall of Fame passer for perhaps six to eight weeks, Fowler adds. Wilson suffered a ruptured middle finger tendon in Thursday’s loss to the Rams. He is likely to undergo surgery.
Wilson’s hand slammed against the helmet of a Rams defender last night as he was throwing to wide receiver Tyler Lockett. He managed to finish out the drive with a handoff but could only attempt one pass on the following possession. Wilson was ultimately forced out in the second half, a rare sight for one of the league’s few ironmen. Geno Smith stepped into Wilson’s nine-plus-year spot as Seattle’s QB1. It is likely Smith, who made one start from 2015-20, will move up into that spot for a lengthy stretch.
This is new territory for the Seahawks, who drafted Wilson in the 2012 third round and saw him take the reins in Week 1 of his rookie season and never relinquish them. A few backups have passed through Seattle without playing many meaningful snaps during Wilson’s tenure. A 2019 free agent signing, Smith attempted just nine passes during his first two seasons with the Seahawks. He surpassed that Thursday night.
In a stacked NFC West, this spells obvious trouble for the Seahawks. Their Week 5 loss dropped them to 2-3. The franchise dealt with a disgruntled Wilson this offseason and moved to placate him, to a certain degree, by hiring Shane Waldron as OC and trading for veteran guard Gabe Jackson. While the sides patched things up and moved forward this season, Wilson’s long-term Seattle status is uncertain. Although his contract runs through 2023, Wilson listed four trade destinations this offseason and briefly came up in trade rumors with the Bears. Now, the soon-to-be 33-year-old QB’s short- and long-term statuses are somewhat uncertain.
The Seahawks have three more games — against the Steelers, Saints and Jaguars — before their Week 9 bye. Games against the Packers and Cardinals follow the bye, should Wilson’s timetable move into that six- to eight-week range.
Smith, 31 on Sunday, spent two seasons as the Jets’ starter but saw a strange 2015 offseason event — a locker-room sucker punch from teammate I.K. Ememkpali — halt his run as Gang Green’s starter. Ryan Fitzpatrick took over that year, and Smith then bounced from the Giants to the Chargers to his current post. Smith’s lone start over the past six seasons came when he ended Eli Manning‘s ironman streak in 2017.
Latest On Seahawks’ Russell Wilson
Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson will have an MRI on his finger and a consultation with a hand specialist later today (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). Early tests indicate that Wilson is dealing with mallet finger — a sprained joint that makes it hard to flex a finger. But, even if there’s no fracture, surgery could still be in Wilson’s future. 
Wilson’s hand slammed against the helmet of a Rams defender last night as he was throwing to wide receiver Tyler Lockett. He managed to finish out the drive with a handoff, but could only attempt one pass on the following drive. Wilson was ultmately forced out in the second half, a rare sight for one of the league’s few ironmen.
Up until that point, Wilson completed 11 of his 16 throws for 152 yards and a touchdown with one interception. He was replaced by backup Geno Smith, who completed each of his five pass attempts en route to a touchdown on his first drive of the game. Smith later threw the interception that sealed the game for the Rams, but that pick couldn’t be pinned on him as Lockett tripped en route to the ball.
If Wilson is forced to miss any time thanks to the injury, it will be the first regular season game he’ll sit out since entering the league in 2012. Smith stands the only other QB on the depth chart, but he hasn’t started a game since 2017. For now, Smith seems likely to start for the Seahawks next week while practice squader Jake Luton could be called up to hold the clipboard.
Seahawks QB Russell Wilson Exits Thursday’s Game
Russell Wilson is one of the NFL’s few iron men, but the Seahawks quarterback was forced to exit tonight’s game against the Rams. Wilson was pulled in the second half of tonight’s contest after suffering a hand injury, per Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times (via Twitter). The QB was officially listed as questionable to return.
Before exiting the game, Wilson had completed 11 of his 16 pass attempts for 152 yards and one touchdown (vs. one interception). While attempting a pass to Tyler Lockett during the third quarter, the QB’s hand slammed against the helmet of a Rams defender. Replays showed Wilson walking toward the sideline with a mangled hand, and after getting some quick treatment, he finished the drive with a hand off. He came back on the field for the next drive but only attempted one pass.
Wilson was finally replaced by backup Geno Smith, who completed each of his five pass attempts en route to a touchdown on his first drive of the game.
If Wilson is forced to miss any time thanks to the injury, it will be the first regular season game he’ll sit out since entering the league in 2012. Smith is the only other QB on the depth chart, but he hasn’t started a game since 2017. The Seahawks are also rostering quarterback Jake Luton on the practice squad.
Seahawks Rule Out Chris Carson Vs. Rams
The Seahawks have made Chris Carson a late scratch for Thursday night’s game against the Rams. Seattle’s longtime starter is battling a neck injury that kept him out of practice this week.
Carson split time with veteran backup Alex Collins against the 49ers. Collins, on his second stint with the Seahawks, would stand to be the team’s top ball-carrying option tonight. Rashaad Penny is on IR.
A two-time 1,100-yard rusher, Carson has defied the odds and become a steady starter out of the seventh round. The Seahawks re-signed him this offseason, giving the Oklahoma State product a two-year, $10.4MM deal. With Penny having not panned out as Carson’s successor, the Seahawks moved forward with their late-round success story. But he has run into injury trouble as a pro.
A broken leg ended Carson’s 2017 rookie season, and after he recovered to establish himself as Seattle’s full-time starter, he missed the end of the 2019 season with an arm malady and four games last season due to a foot injury. The Seahawks also have 2020 fourth-round pick DeeJay Dallas and 2019 sixth-rounder Travis Homer on their active roster along with Collins.
Seahawks Place WR D’Wayne Eskridge On IR
D’Wayne Eskridge has not played since Week 1, and the Seahawks’ top 2021 draft choice will be out for the next three games. The team moved its second-round wide receiver to IR Thursday.
This is a concerning situation for Eskridge, who suffered a concussion in his debut. The 5-foot-9 wideout played 12 snaps against the Colts but left that game with a head injury. While the Seahawks are giving him extra time to recover, Eskridge’s extensive time in the protocol has become a situation to monitor.
Despite the presences of Tyler Lockett and D.K. Metcalf, Seattle added Eskridge with the No. 56 overall pick. The Western Michigan alum saw action in five seasons at the mid-major program, redshirting one of those slates, and was one of college football’s top deep threats as an upperclassman. He averaged 23.3 yards per catch (33 receptions, 768 yards) and caught eight TD passes during the COVID-19-altered 2020 season, which reduced the MAC slate to six games.
The Seahawks have used Freddie Swain in an increased role in recent weeks; the 2020 sixth-round pick has two touchdown receptions thus far this season. Penny Hart resides as the fifth wideout on the Seahawks’ 53-man roster, but the team elevated former first-round pick Phillip Dorsett ahead of Thursday night’s game. Dorsett recently re-signed with the Seahawks, joining their practice squad, following his Jaguars exit.