Seahawks Notes: Tight End, Penny, Wright
With Will Dissly on the injured reserve and Nick Vannett dealing with a lower-back injury, the Seahawks may be forced to get creative at tight end. As Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk.com writes, one of the options could be offensive lineman George Fant, who played three snaps at the position last Sunday.
Vannett, who played 54 of 66 offensive snaps last weekend, seemed to all but confirm Fant’s role in the offense.
“If we go 12 personnel [one running back and two tight ends], we’ll probably have George Fant be the big tight end and me be in my usual [pass-catching and blocking] role,” Vannett said. “So I don’t think it will be too different [this week]. But I think just the 11 personnel [one back, one tight end] stuff I’ll obviously be having to take on a bigger role.”
Besides Vannett, Darrell Daniels is the only other healthy tight end of the roster. The 23-year-old was acquired in a trade with the Colts back in September. Ed Dickson is also sitting on the NFI, and he’s expected to return in Week 8.
Let’s take a look at some more notes out of Seattle…
- Despite using a first-round pick on Rashaad Penny, the Seahawks have seemingly settled on a rotation at running back. Despite the rookie’s talents, Seattle will apparently lean mostly on Chris Carson and Mike Davis, and Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com thought it was telling that offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer didn’t mention Penny when discussing the position. “I think we have a number of backs that can challenge you different ways,” Schottenheimer said. “That’s why it’s hard to get guys rolling sometimes but I think we’ve figured that out the last two weeks, that you go in with a mindset of ‘Okay, this is the guy that we’re going to start with,’ and if things don’t work out that way then you adjust but Chris the week before got significantly most of the touches and then this last week, the plan was to let Mike go. A veteran player, let him get started, see how he does and he didn’t disappoint.” Through four games, Penny has compiled 92 rushing yards on 29 carries. For comparison’s sake, Davis had 101 rushing yards on 21 carries last weekend.
- K.J. Wright will miss this weekend’s game against the Rams, but head coach Pete Carroll sounded optimistic that the linebacker will return soon. “He has had a great few days,” Carroll said (via John Boyle of Seahawks.com). “He’s going to be off today, then the next three days will be solid days back to back to back, see how he tolerates that. He’s working his way back in hopes that that kicks him into high gear next week.” The 29-year-old has missed his team’s first four games as he recovers from knee surgery.
- After Earl Thomas went down with a season-ending injury, the Seahawks signed Maurice Alexander to take his place on the roster.
This Date In NFL Transactions History: Bills Trade Marshawn Lynch To Seahawks
On this date in 2010, the Bills and Seahawks pulled off a blockbuster midseason trade. For the price of a 2011 fourth-round pick and a conditional 2012 draft pick, the Bills said farewell to Marshawn Lynch.
Lynch’s tenure in Buffalo altered between jaw-dropping and headache-inducing for the front office. The running back topped 1,000 yards in each of his first two NFL seasons and earned his first career Pro Bowl nod in 2008. Meanwhile, his off-the-field trouble was cause for concern. In the summer of 2008, Lynch admitted to striking a female pedestrian with his car and leaving the scene. In the following spring, Los Angeles cops found a semiautomatic handgun in his car.
The former first-round pick seemed to be back on track early in the 2010 season, having just wrestled the starting job back from Fred Jackson. Still, the phone lines were open in Buffalo, and Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll pounced on the opportunity to add him to the backfield.
“We’re going to bring him in to play a lot,” Carroll said (via the Associated Press). “We’ll wait and see when we get him here, but we’re bringing him in here to play a bunch.” The decision to trade for Lynch ended up working out incredibly well for the Seahawks, as Lynch took his game to a new level in Seattle and became the engine of the offense for their Super Bowl winning team. He went to four Pro Bowls with the Seahawks and was twice named an All-Pro
Lynch ended up announcing his retirement after the 2015 season, but after a year away from the game decided to return. The Seahawks promptly traded him to the Raiders, where Lynch currently plays.
Corry: Earl Thomas Market Could Be Robust
Despite the Rams‘ dominance through four games, they haven’t deployed much in the way of name talent at linebacker. They traded Alec Ogletree to the Giants and shipped Robert Quinn to the Dolphins. Los Angeles is in line to have its top current ‘backer back in Week 5, however. Sean McVay expects Barron to make his season debut against the Seahawks after missing the first four games due to a lingering Achilles injury that caused him to miss all of Los Angeles’ offseason program.
- The Seahawks could franchise Earl Thomas for $12.48MM, but the three-time All-Pro could well hit the market. If he’s not franchised, it’s incredibly hard to envision Thomas back with the Seahawks. And if he is, another long holdout almost certainly commences. Despite having a broken leg end his season, Thomas may see a robust market come March, with Joel Corry of CBS Sports citing big deals given to Allen Robinson (coming off an ACL tear) and Matt Kalil (off a hip injury) as why Thomas can be expected to be a coveted commodity. Thomas has already surmounted a significant leg injury; he returned from that season-ending malady to be a 2017 Pro Bowler. He should have immense incentive to get cleared by the time free agency opens.
Minor NFL Transactions: 10/3/18
Today’s minor moves:
Detroit Lions
- Signed: OL Andrew Donnal
Indianapolis Colts
- Promoted to active roster: TE Erik Swoope
- Waived: TE Mo Alie-Cox
Seattle Seahawks
- Promoted from practice squad: TE Darrell Daniels
Seahawks Notes: Kendricks, Thomas, Suh
Is the NFL mishandling the Mychal Kendricks case? Mike Florio of PFT seems to think so, arguing that a potential 12-game suspension for alleged insider trading doesn’t make sense when considering the baseline punishment for domestic abuse suspensions is a six-game ban.
The “indefinite” suspension for the Seahawks linebacker could technically allow him to return this season, but there won’t be any real progress in his case until his sentencing in January. One could argue that a preemptive suspension was not necessary since Kendricks made immediate restitution and has no criminal record.
Here’s more out of Seattle:
- The timing of Earl Thomas‘ four-year, $40MM extension was not exactly ideal for the safety, Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times writes. Had Thomas’ contract run out in 2017, the team might have signed him to a third deal heading into last season as it did with Kam Chancellor. Instead, Thomas’ age made a lucrative new deal unpalatable for the Seahawks. Condotta also notes that Thomas can technically be traded while on IR, but that would make little sense since he has been ruled out for the season. Before Thomas’ leg fracture, the Seahawks reportedly lowered the asking price on the All-Pro defender. The Chiefs were in pursuit of him and the two sides were inching towards a trade.
- The Seahawks spoke extensively with Ndamukong Suh in the spring, but the club couldn’t get close to the Rams’ offer due to cap constraints, coach Pete Carroll says (Twitter link via Condotta). On Sunday, the Seahawks will face Suh, who is off to a tremendous start.
Seahawks To Sign Maurice Alexander
The Seahawks have signed safety Maurice Alexander, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The former Rams safety will help fill the void after Earl Thomas was placed on IR. 
Alexander, 27, started 14 games for the Rams in 2016 and started four contests for the club last year. The former fourth-round pick wasn’t playing all that well, however, as Pro Football Focus graded Alexander as a bottom-10 safety in 2016. But Alexander offers both youth and experience, and could become a valuable reserve for the Seahawks.
For now, the Seahawks are expected to move forward with Tedric Thompson as Thomas’ replacement in the starting lineup. He joins Tre Flowers, Bradley McDougald, and Shaquill Griffin in a secondary that is talented, but not Legion Of Boom-level great.
If he’s active on Sunday, Alexander’s first contest will come against the Rams. Currently at 2-2, the Seahawks will look to hand the Rams their first loss of 2018.
NFL Workout Updates: 10/2/18
Today’s workout updates, with all links going to veteran Howard Balzer’s Twitter account unless otherwise noted:
Arizona Cardinals
- WR Jordan Leslie (link via Adam Caplan of SiriusXM)
Atlanta Falcons
Cleveland Browns
- LB Junior Sylvestre (link); CBs Sterling Moore, Josh Robinson; K Daniel Carlson, Miles Bergner (link via Caplan)
Denver Broncos
- P Brock Miller (link)
Detroit Lions
- RB Akeem Hunt; C Jake Eldrenkamp; Ts Antonio Garcia, De’Ondre Wesley; G Landon Turner (link)
Green Bay Packers
- LBs Josh Carraway, Aaron Wallace (link via Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com)
Houston Texans
Jacksonville Jaguars
- RBs Matthew Dayes, Orleans Darkwa (link via Caplan)
Los Angeles Chargers
- LBs Jonathan Celestin, Tre’von Johnson; P Shane Tripucka; LS Taybor Pepper (link)
Los Angeles Rams
- LB Anthony Winbush; DBs Xavier Coleman, Ranthony Texada; K Kai Forbath
Miami Dolphins
- Gs Austin Davis, J.J. Dielman; Cs Dillon Day, T.J. Johnson, Jon Toth; T Gerhard de Beer; DTs Xavier Cooper, Will Sutton (link)
Minnesota Vikings
- DE Terrence Fede; LB Tyrone Holmes (link)
New England Patriots
- T Andrew Nelson (link)
New Orleans Saints
- G/T Oday Aboushi; Ts Chaz Green, Austin Howard; Gs Jordan Morgan, Isaiah Williams; CBs De’Vante Bausby, Jeremy Boykins, Byron Maxwell (link)
New York Jets
Oakland Raiders
- DEs Damontre Moore, Jacquies Smith; LBs Travis Feeney, Edmond Robinson; K Nick Novak (link via Caplan)
Pittsburgh Steelers
- CB Herb Waters (link)
Seattle Seahawks
- WR Keon Hatcher; DE Hau’oli Kikaha; LB Chris Odom; CB Kalan Reed; Ss Maurice Alexander, Eddie Pleasant, Jeremy Reaves (link)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- CB Josh Shaw; S A.J. Howard (link)
Tennessee Titans
- QB Garrett Gilbert; WRs Aaron Burbridge, Reggie Davis, Damoun Patterson; LB Antwione Williams (link)
Minor NFL Transactions: 10/2/18
Today’s minor moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Waived: DT Justin Zimmer
Detroit Lions
- Waived: CB Dee Virgin
Indianapolis Colts
- Waived: RB Jeremy McNichols
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: DB Josh Shaw
- Waived: TE Alex Ellis
Los Angeles Rams
- Waived from injured reserve: LB Carlos Thompson
Oakland Raiders
- Signed off Titans’ practice squad: OL Ian Silberman
Philadelphia Eagles
- Promoted from practice squad: DT Treyvon Hester
- Waived: DT Bruce Hector
- Waived from injured reserve: OT Toby Weathersby
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: DB T.J. Green
- Placed on injured reserve: TE Will Dissly (story), S Earl Thomas (story)
- Waived from injured reserve: FB Khalid Hill
Seahawks’ Mychal Kendricks Suspended Indefinitely
The NFL suspended Seahawks linebacker Mychal Kendricks indefinitely for insider trading, a source tells ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). The veteran will be barred from playing until further notice from the league office. 
The Browns signed Kendricks back in June, but Cleveland quickly released him after news of the insider trading charge broke in August. Seattle head coach Pete Carroll opted to give him a second chance, but the NFL’s disciplinary arm sees things differently.
When the Browns signed Kendricks, they believed that the former Eagle was somehow involved with an insider trading case as a victim, but did not know the full extent of his involvement. Later, it came to light that he was the focal point of a federal investigation.
“Prior to signing Mychal, we were informed that there was a financial situation that he had been involved with in 2014. We were told Mychal had fully cooperated with investigators as a victim,” GM John Dorsey said in a statement. “From what was communicated at that time and based on the numerous questions we asked and further due diligence on our part, including checking with the league office, there was no information discovered that conveyed otherwise.”
Kendricks, who turned 28 on Friday, had a sack in each of his first two games with the Seahawks. He has 15 total tackles to his credit this year, and that could go down as his final stat line for 2018 if his situation is not resolved quickly.
The linebacker is facing 30 to 37 months in prison if convicted of the charges against him.
Seahawks Dropped Earl Thomas Asking Price Prior To Injury
After a drama-filled offseason, Earl Thomas’ 2018 campaign was cut short due to a broken leg suffered in the Seahawks’ win over the Cardinals this past Sunday. Now, more details are pouring in about Thomas’ status with the team, and a potential trade that was in the works. 
Prior to Thomas’ season-ending injury, the Seahawks dropped their asking price from two second-round picks to one second-round pick for the All-Pro, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears. It was reported earlier this morning that the Chiefs were actively engaged in trade talks for Thomas and things got serious enough to where the Chiefs were looking into ways to free up the necessary cap room to take on Thomas’ contract, presumably because of the Seahawks’ reduction in asking price.
It’s a moot point now, but we can glean two things from this bit of news: 1. The Chiefs are very high on Thomas and may profile as suitors for him this offseason and 2. Chiefs GM Brett Veach may be willing to part with considerable draft capital between now and the trade deadline to improve his team. The Chiefs are clearly in win-now mode, and are looking to make a Super Bowl run. Their strong interest in Thomas also shows the team is likely very concerned about the status of All-Pro safety Eric Berry. Berry has yet to play this season as he continues to work his way back from an Achilles injury, and it doesn’t sound like he’ll be suiting up any time soon.
While Thomas was so close to seeing his goal of being traded become a reality, there is some good news for the 29-year-old. Rapoport also reports that the injury is “not expected to effect his free agency negatively.” Thomas’ injury is serious, but is expected to heal fully and not have any lingering impact. Still in his prime, he should still be in for a massive payday next spring.