Seahawks Sign Dekoda Watson
On Wednesday, the Seahawks signed linebacker Dekoda Watson. The indefinite ban of wide receiver Josh Gordon freed up a roster spot, so no cuts were needed to add the veteran defender. 
[RELATED: NFL Bans Seahawks’ Josh Gordon]
Watson, 31, had a brief run with the Seahawks earlier this year. He was dropped before he could even play in a game, however, to make room for Gordon’s arrival off waivers.
Watson’s hasn’t seen live action since he suited up for the 49ers last year. In 2018, he played in four games and finished out with five tackles and two sacks.
The nine-year pro has also played for the Broncos, Patriots, Cowboys, Jaguars and Buccaneers over the course of his career. He’ll rejoin the Seahawks with an eye on making a difference in the final two games of the regular season and the playoffs.
Seahawks Work Out Robert Turbin, Alfred Blue
Rashaad Penny‘s IR placement has made Chris Carson the sole focal point of the Seattle backfield, but the 11-3 team is looking at potential supplementary options.
The Seahawks brought in former backfield cog Robert Turbin and ex-Texan Alfred Blue for workouts, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. Carson logged 24 carries Sunday against the Panthers, with backups C.J. Prosise and Travis Homer combining for seven. Penny had earned a bigger role in the backfield as the season progressed, due partially to Carson’s fumbling issues.
Now 30, Turbin has not played in a game in over a year. He was last with the Seahawks during the 2014 season, serving as one of Marshawn Lynch‘s backups. Bobby Turbo was a Colt from 2016-18, his best Indianapolis work coming in a seven-touchdown 2016 season. He did not score more than one TD in each of his other six NFL seasons. He met with the Raiders in April.
Blue, 28, has only played for the Texans. He also has not suited up in a 2019 game. Last season, the longtime backup/occasional starter averaged 3.3 yards per carry.
Poll: Should The Seahawks Sign Antonio Brown?
The Seahawks were dealt a bad blow this week when Josh Gordon was banned indefinitely by the NFL. Down a major deep threat, could they consider signing Antonio Brown, the game’s most talented and controversial free agent?
Mike Florio of PFT touched on the possibility today, while noting the obvious barriers: Brown is still waiting to find out whether he’ll be hit with a suspension of his own and the PR backlash would be enormous.
The Seahawks did their “due diligence” on Brown before claiming Gordon this year, but it’s not clear what they uncovered in their own investigation. Meanwhile, teams interested in Brown have been in a holding pattern as they await word on the wide receiver’s status from the NFL.
The belief is that if Brown is signed, the league will instantly place him on paid leave. But, if the Seahawks were to sign Brown after Week 17, there would be no real financial risk, since his compensation would be limited to just his playoff share.
With all of that said, the potential upside is enormous. Brown has caught 841 passes for 11,253 yards over the course of his ten-year career, which includes seven Pro Bowl appearances. And, in his last playoff game (January 14, 2018), reeled in seven catches for 132 yards and two touchdowns. That’s the kind of weapon Russell Wilson could use as the Seahawks gear up for their 2019/2020 push.
Cast your vote below (link for app users) and back up your choice in the comment section:
Should The Seahawks Consider Antonio Brown?
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No 68% (1,862)
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Yes 32% (880)
Total votes: 2,742
Chiefs Claim Terrell Suggs
The Chiefs claimed former Cardinals linebacker Terrell Suggs off waivers on Tuesday. The news was first reported by Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter).
Initially, it wasn’t clear whether Suggs would be willing to suit up for the Chiefs. After his release, he told people close to him that he would only play for the Ravens, but the opportunity to play for another Super Bowl ring made him reconsider. He will join KC and, in all likelihood, make his Chiefs debut on Sunday against the Bears.
The pickup gives the Chiefs some much needed edge rushing ammo in the wake of Alex Okafor‘s pectoral injury. To date, Suggs has with 5.5 sacks and four forced fumbles in 13 games this year.
Suggs was a popular man on the waiver wire. As Rapoport tweets, the Saints, 49ers, and Seahawks all put in a claim, which makes sense given that all of those teams are dealing with injuries to their own pass rushers. Rapoport says the Ravens may have signed Suggs if he had cleared waivers, but Baltimore did not put in a claim.
Suggs didn’t get the homecoming he wanted, but he fell into a choice situation. Rather than playing out the year for the 4-9-1 Cards, he has the opportunity to aid the 10-4 Chiefs in their quest for a championship.
Suggs was drafted No. 10 overall by the Ravens all the way back in 2003. He spent the next 16 seasons with the team and became a franchise icon, winning Super Bowl XLVII with them and making the Pro Bowl seven times. He remained reasonably productive with seven sacks in 2018, but the Ravens let him walk to Arizona in the spring.
The Chiefs will be responsible for the remainder of Suggs’ one-year, $7MM deal.
West Notes: Jacobs, Jordan, 49ers
The Raiders are not completely eliminated from playoff contention just yet, but it may be in the team’s best interests to shut down rookie RB Josh Jacobs for the final two games of the year. Jacobs, who has rushed for 1,150 yards on 4.8 yards-per-carry this year, has been battling a shoulder injury, and head coach Jon Gruden said that Jacobs had trouble getting his shoulder pads off yesterday (Twitter link via Jerry McDonald of the Bay Area News Group).
Per Gruden, Jacobs’ status for Oakland’s last two games is in doubt. The Raiders finish up their final season in the Bay Area with divisional contests against the Chargers and Broncos.
Let’s round up a few more West-related items, starting with another note from the Silver-and-Black:
- Dion Jordan, who signed with the Raiders in November after serving a 10-game suspension for a PED violation, has performed well in his first five games with his new team. Playing in a rotational role, the No. 3 overall pick of the 2013 draft has posted two sacks and has earned positive reviews from Gruden. Jordan will be a free agent at season’s end, and Gruden said the 29-year-old is playing his way into a new contract with the Raiders (Twitter link via McDonald).
- No surprise here, but Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area does not believe the 49ers will use the franchise tag on Arik Armstead, which means that Armstead may be plying his trade elsewhere in 2020. Maiocco also believes that the team will cut running back Jerick McKinnon and wide receiver Marquise Goodwin during the offseason.
- Seahawks DB Quandre Diggs has been a boon to Seattle’s defense after being acquired in an October trade with the Lions, but Diggs sprained his ankle in the team’s win over the Panthers on Sunday and will likely miss next week’s matchup against the Cardinals, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. It’s still too early to predict his status for Week 17, but given the potential magnitude of that bout with San Francisco, the Seahawks will want to make sure Diggs is as healthy as possible.
NFL Bans Seahawks’ Josh Gordon
The NFL has suspended Josh Gordon indefinitely for violating the league’s policies on performance-enhancing substances and substances of abuse. Gordon will not suit up for the Seahawks’ final regular season games, nor their postseason game(s), and it’s possible that he’ll never take the gridiron again. 
It’s a sadly familiar refrain for Gordon, who has been suspended repeatedly throughout his NFL career. The Seahawks saw flashes of the old Flash this season and Gordon, at last check, was excited about the possibility of returning for 2020.
“Seattle is amazing,” the wide receiver said. “Football aside, I’d definitely love to live in a place like this.”
The feeling, just a few short days ago, was mutual.
“Josh has had huge games in the past,’’ head coach Pete Carroll said. “He just hasn’t gotten the ball enough yet to show that for us. But he’s done really well. Josh has been a really good guy around here in practicing and working hard and studying.”
All of that is on hold, as the wide receiver is set to do battle with the league office and his own off-the-field issues once again.
Since joining the Seahawks in early November, Gordon caught just seven passes for 139 yards and zero touchdowns. It’s a far cry from his best work, including a 2014 season in which he had 87 receptions for 1,646 yards and nine touchdowns in 14 games with the Browns. It’s also a step down from his production with the Patriots (20/287/1 in six games), but Gordon showed promise, too. On Sunday against the Panthers, he torched the secondary for a spectacular 58-yard grab in the second quarter. He also lobbed a trick pass directly into the arms of safety Tre Boston, but the Seahawks still managed to come away with a 30-24 win.
At this moment, there’s only one number that truly matters: Five. That’s the number of times Gordon has been suspended for substance abuse. He’s successfully begged for the NFL’s forgiveness in the past, but this ban just might be the final straw.
Seahawks Activate Ethan Pocic From IR
The Seahawks are getting a boost as they gear up for their playoff push. The team is activating offensive lineman Ethan Pocic off injured reserve, they announced in a release.
To make room for him on the roster they officially placed running Rashaad Penny, who tore an ACL last week, on injured reserve. Pocic was placed on injured reserve after Week 6, and is now returning when first eligible after missing the requisite eight games. He had been dealing with a back issue. Pocic started the team’s opener at left guard and played 100 percent of the snaps, but injuries have limited him to just two games in his third season as a pro.
Seattle drafted him in the second round back in 2017, and he started 11 games as a rookie while appearing in all 16. An LSU product, injuries limited him to only ten appearances last year with four starts. Pocic has played all along the offensive line during his college and pro days, so he brings some valuable versatility to the unit. Normal starting center Justin Britt is on injured reserve with an ACL tear of his own, and Joey Hunt has been filling in. Now that Pocic is back, he could push Hunt for that gig soon. Either way, he’ll be a nice depth piece for the stretch run.
Josh Gordon Hopes To Stay With Seahawks
Josh Gordon has yet to make a huge impact with the Seahawks, but he “absolutely” hopes to remain with the team in 2020, as Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times writes. 
“Oh yeah, absolutely. Seattle is amazing,” the wide receiver said. “Football aside, I’d definitely love to live in a place like this.”
Since joining the Seahawks in early November, Gordon has caught just six passes for 81 yards and zero touchdowns. It’s a far cry from his best work, including a 2014 season in which he had 87 receptions for 1,646 yards and nine touchdowns in 14 games with the Browns. It’s also a step down from his production with the Patriots (20/287/1 in six games), but Gordon isn’t pointing fingers or ruling out a future in Seattle.
Gordon saw an uptick in snaps on Sunday night against the Rams, so Pete Carroll also remains optimistic about what Gordon can offer. In that game, Gordon was targeted five times, but came away with just two catches.
“Josh has had huge games in the past,’’ Carroll said. “He just hasn’t gotten the ball enough yet to show that for us. But he’s done really well. Josh has been a really good guy around here in practicing and working hard and studying.”
Gordon will be an unrestricted free agent in March after his current deal – which carries a $2.025MM base salary – expires. In between now and then, he’ll get an opportunity to show what he can do in the playoffs. The 10-3 Seahawks are virtually locked in for a wild card spot and still have a chance at leapfrogging the 49ers for the divisional crown.
Latest On Rashaad Penny's Injury
- In addition to the ACL tear Rashaad Penny suffered in Week 14, Pete Carroll noted the second-year running back may have sustained more damage in his injured knee, per Brady Henderson of ESPN.com. The Seahawks running back’s upcoming surgery will provide more clarity on his timetable.
NFL Workout Updates: 12/11/19
Here are Wednesday’s workout updates:
Chicago Bears
- LB Devante Bond, S Kentrell Brice, S Derrick Kindred
Cincinnati Bengals
- CB Dee Delaney
Detroit Lions
- RB Tra Carson, WR Jonathan Duhart, WR Emanuel Hall, TE Matt Lengel
Green Bay Packers
Miami Dolphins
- CB DaShaun Amos, LB Willie Jefferson, DE Jonathan Kongbo, LB Derrick Moncrief, DE Mike Moore, CB Marcus Sayles, LB Nick Usher. (Each player played in the CFL this season)
Seattle Seahawks
- RB Nick Brossette, RB Matthew Dayes, RB Xavier Turner
Tampa Bay Buccaneers