Seahawks Work Out Paxton Lynch, Others
Seattle was the latest stop on Paxton Lynch‘s post-Broncos workout tour, with the team bringing him and two others in for an audition according to Field Yates of ESPN (Twitter link).
Yates reports that the Seahawks brought in the former first round quarterback as well as former Jets wide receiver Chad Hansen and former Browns defensive lineman Jamie Meder. It’s been a busy month of flying for Lynch after he was let go by the Broncos at final cuts. He worked out for the Jaguars last week, and the Redskins the week before that. He’s also worked out for the Eagles, the Lions , and the Bills during his time on the open market.
The 26th overall pick of the 2016 draft might not be able to find a home on an active roster this season, and may need to wait til the end of the season to sign a reserve/futures contract for the offseason. Most teams’ quarterback depth charts are set, and the clubs that will be looking for signal callers due to injuries will likely be looking to add veterans and not developmental projects at this point in the season.
Hansen was a fourth round pick of the Jets back in 2017, but didn’t survive final cuts this year. He was claimed by the Patriots, but lasted only a week on New England’s roster. Meder spent the past three seasons with the Browns, and made the team’s initial 53 this year, but was cut soon after to make room for incoming Cleveland waiver claims. The Seahawks have Brett Hundley backing up Russell Wilson, and Alex McGough on the practice squad, so it would be surprising if they brought in Lynch this season.
Chiefs, Seahawks Were Nearing Thomas Deal
Earl Thomas‘ season is over, and so too are his hopes for a trade. But, before the injury, the Chiefs and Seahawks were nearing a blockbuster mid-season swap, according to Terez A. Paylor of Yahoo Sports. 
The Seahawks and Chiefs were unable to reach a deal before their Week 4 games, but there was “internal optimism something would be struck” before the Oct. 31 deadline, Paylor writes. Had they landed Thomas, the Chiefs would have boasted one of the league’s most formidable safety duos with him and Eric Berry (once Berry is healthy), but that dream will have to be put on hold for now.
Given the Chiefs’ aggressiveness in pursuing Thomas, it seems likely that they’ll go hard after him in March, when he hits the free agent market. Thomas’ beloved Cowboys and other contenders will also follow suit, though Thomas’ earning potential may be capped by the stagnating market for veteran safeties.
The Seahawks, meanwhile, will have to move forward without one of their top defenders and it’s improbable that they’ll retain him in 2019. The silver lining is that Thomas’ departure will contribute to their compensatory pick formula and likely land them a third-round choice in 2020.
Seahawks TE Will Dissly Tears Patella, Out For Season
The Seahawks just can’t catch a break. Shortly after it was announced that Earl Thomas would be placed on injured reserve due to a broken leg suffered in today’s game, Seattle was hit with more devastating injury news.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported that tight end Will Dissly will miss the rest of the season due to a torn patella (Twitter link). As Rapoport notes, Dissly had emerged as a favorite target for Russell Wilson in his rookie season. Dissly’s emergence came out of nowhere, as almost nobody was expecting the fourth round rookie to have a large role right away before the season.
The Seahawks escaped with a win due to Sebastian Janikowski‘s last-second field goal, but will be significantly shorthanded moving forward. While Dissly isn’t as big of a loss as Thomas, it’s a big blow to the Seahawks’ offense. In his Week 1 debut against Denver, Dissly had 105 yards and a touchdown.
Tyler Lockett has taken a step forward this season. and the team will move forward with Lockett, Doug Baldwin, and Brandon Marshall as the lead pass-catchers. Tight end is now a major weakness for Seattle, as they were already quite thin at the position. It’s possible they look to add a veteran in the coming days.
Earl Thomas Carted Off Field
Seahawks safety Earl Thomas is done for the year after suffering a lower leg fracture, coach Pete Carroll confirmed (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL Network). Doctors quickly confirmed the injury after Thomas was carted off of the field and had his leg put in an air-cast. The Seahawks will place Thomas on injured reserve, opening up a spot on the 53-man roster.
It’s devastating news for Thomas, particularly since he is in his contract year. Thomas has been pushing for a new contact all year, and this is exactly the situation he was looking to avoid.
Thomas skipped practice multiple times recently and abstained from training camp while demanding a new deal or a trade. It looked like his holdout was going to last into the regular season, but just before the season started he finally reported and started each of the first four games while continuing to publicly state his dissatisfaction with the Seahawks. The Cowboys reportedly offered a second round pick for Thomas earlier this summer, but were turned down.
When on the field, Thomas has been his normal elite self. He’s one of the best safeties in the game, and is a true difference maker. It’s yet another blow for a Seahawks team that has dealt with a slew of injuries to key players this season. Nothing is certain yet, but it appears highly possible Thomas has played his last down in Seattle.
Latest On Seahawks RB Chris Carson
When Seahawks running back Chris Carson appeared on the injury report with a hip injury earlier this week, it was assumed he’d be fine for today’s matchup against the Cardinals. However, Carson apparently had some kind of setback, as the team announced that the running back will be inactive for the contest.
This is a tough blow for a Seahawks team that’s struggled offensively this season. Carson has been one of the offense’s lone bright spots through three weeks, compiling 177 rushing yards and one score on 45 carries. He’s also added another five receptions for 50 yards. The team will now have to rely on first-rounder Rashaad Penny, who has collected 43 rushing yards on 20 carries. The team is also rostering Mike Davis and C.J. Prosise, who is active despite being listed as doubtful.
While the Seahawks are losing one major offensive weapon, they’ll be welcoming back another one. Doug Baldwin is set to return to the Seahawks after missing the past two games with a knee injury. He’ll likely slide to the top of the receivers depth chart ahead of Brandon Marshall and Tyler Lockett.
The rest of the Seahawks’ inactives include defensive end Dion Jordan, linebacker K.J. Wright, safety Shalom Luani, defensive end Rasheem Green, offensive guard Ethan Pocic, and wideout Keenan Reynolds.
Steelers Actively Shopping Le’Veon Bell; Eagles, 49ers Interested
Last week, reports that the Steelers were listening to trade offers for running back Le’Veon Bell became the latest development in the long and winding Bell saga. Today, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (video link) reports that Pittsburgh is actively shopping Bell and is not simply waiting on calls from rival clubs.
In addition to the obvious complications to finalizing a Bell trade — which Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk laid out again today — Rapoport says that the Steelers’ asking price is reportedly too high for other teams at the moment. RapSheet indicates that Pittsburgh is currently asking for a second-round pick and a player in exchange for Bell, which another club is almost certainly not going to give up. Bell’s talent doubtlessly merits such a return, but the fact that he will effectively be a one-year rental — and an expensive rental at that — will limit what the Steelers can get in a Bell swap.
Right now, however, it appears that Pittsburgh is not in any rush to lower its demands. As Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports points out, the trade deadline is still a month away, and the Steelers are currently willing to let the market develop. La Canfora adds that the Jets and 49ers have made “exploratory calls” to Pittsburgh, though San Francisco’s interest in Bell may no longer be very high after the team lost starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo for the season.
The Eagles, though, are also interested, per La Canfora. The Eagles are obvious contenders and have suffered a number of injuries to their backfield that could prompt the ever-aggressive Howie Roseman to get creative in his push for back-to-back titles. Philadelphia would of course need to clear some cap space in order to acquire Bell, but there are ways to do that (like jettisoning backup QB Nick Foles).
La Canfora writes that the Steelers would be willing to deal one disgruntled star for another by sending Bell to the Seahawks in exchange for safety Earl Thomas, but there has been no contact between Pittsburgh and Seattle at this point.
Indeed, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports that no team has been aggressive in pursuing Bell thus far. That jibes with a tweet from ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, who says that there is minimal trade buzz surrounding Bell at the moment.
Schefter also notes that, the longer Bell stays away from the Steelers, the more he could lose on his 2019 pay. For instance, if any team were to use the transition tag on Bell next season, the tag number would be 120 percent of this season’s salary, so the more 2018 game checks Bell misses out on, the lower the tag number would be. Of course, Bell could appeal such a matter to an arbitrator, but his holdout is becoming riskier with each passing week.
Seahawks Fined Earl Thomas, Still Want At Least A Second-Rounder For Him
The Seahawks have indeed fined safety Earl Thomas, who missed practice for non-injury reasons for the second consecutive week. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that the Seahawks — who were considering imposing a substantial fine on Thomas last Sunday — fined the star defender for missing practice and for “other things.” Rapoport adds that “communication should increase going forward,” but it is presently unclear as to whether he is referring to communication between Thomas and Seattle or between Seattle and other clubs who may want to trade for Thomas. We heard earlier today that the Steelers were interested in Thomas, but there has been no communication between Seattle and Pittsburgh at this point.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter adds that the Seahawks are still asking for a second-round pick for Thomas, and that the Chiefs remain interested (though Kansas City does not want to give up a second-rounder). The Cowboys, of course, offered a second-round pick to Seattle earlier this year, but the Seahawks wanted more from Dallas at the time since the two teams were set to play each other last week. Now that the Cowboys-Seahawks matchup has taken place, perhaps the Seahawks will be more willing to consider the Cowboys’ offer, but Rapoport indicates (video link) that the Seahawks want two second round picks in exchange for Thomas, which seems like an especially lofty asking price.
Doug Baldwin To Return In Week 4
Pete Carroll confirmed the Seahawks will have their top pass-catcher back on Sunday.
Doug Baldwin will return to action against the Cardinals in Week 4, Seattle’s head coach said during a radio address (via ESPN.com’s Brady Henderson).
Baldwin’s missed the past two games because of an MCL injury and has yet to record a catch in 2018. The veteran wide receiver suffered a knee injury during training camp, causing him to miss most of Seattle’s workouts leading up to the season before exiting Seattle’s Week 1 game with more knee trouble. He managed limited practices on Wednesday and Thursday.
The Seahawks went 1-1 without their eighth-year wideout, but Baldwin’s return figures to be critical for the team’s passing attack.
Baldwin’s led the Seahawks in receiving yardage the past four seasons, finishing with back-to-back 1,000-yard showings in 2015 and ’16 and posting a 991-yard, eight-touchdown campaign last season.
Seahawks Notes: Reid, Baldwin
- The 49ers reportedly offered Reid a contract before he signed with the Panthers, and they weren’t the only NFC West club to do so. The Seahawks also discussed a deal with Reid, per Jim Trotter of NFL.com (Twitter link), and were the first team to offer Reid a pact. Seattle negotiated with Reid while fellow safety Earl Thomas was holding out, and Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times reports (via Twitter) the offer was pulled after Thomas reported. Per Condotta, Seattle and Reid couldn’t agree on a salary.
- Doug Baldwin returned to Seahawks practice on Wednesday for the first time since going down with an MCL injury in the club’s Week 1 game, according to Brady Henderson of ESPN.com (Twitter link). While Baldwin hasn’t yet been given clearance to play in Week 4, he says he’s “chomping at the bit” to return to action, tweets Curtis Crabtree of Sports Radio KJR. Baldwin’s return would be an obvious boon to a Seattle offense that has given more snaps to Brandon Marshall and Jaron Brown.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/27/18
Today’s practice squad updates:
Chicago Bears
- Signed: DB Jonathon Mincy
- Released: DB John Franklin III
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: G Spencer Drango
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: DE Jeremiah Valoaga
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: DL Tomasi Laulile
- Released: DT Woodrow Hamilton
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: OL Christian DiLauro, DB Dexter McCoil
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: TE Darrell Daniels
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Released: CB Jeff Richards