Seahawks Waive Dwight Freeney
Dwight Freeney‘s time is over in Seattle. The Seahawks announced that they have waived the veteran. 
Freeney joined the Seahawks in October and recorded three sacks in four games. Although he was effective as a pass rusher in limited downs, the Seahawks appear to be looking for some more well-rounded defensive line depth.
Because the trade deadline has come and gone, Freeney will be subject to waivers. He could draw interest from some contending clubs looking to improve their QB pressure. By the same token, it wouldn’t be surprising to see clubs pass on the 37-year-old. After all, he was without a team until midway through the season.
If this is indeed the end of Freeney’s career, he will leave the sport with an impressive list of accomplishments. In 16 NFL seasons, Freeney earned seven Pro Bowl nods and was First-Team All Pro on three separate occasions. He’s also 17th on the NFL’s all-time career sack list with 125.5 and is second only to Julius Peppers among active players.
Mike Pettine Would Be A Top DC Candidate For Matt Nagy
Falcons defensive lineman Adrian Clayborn was prepared to hang up the cleats last offseason, as D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes. Clayborn suffered a torn biceps in Atlanta’s playoff win over the Seahawks in January, which marked the third time that he had endured a season-ending injury, and he was ready to retire rather than risk more pain and frustration. However, his fiancee (now wife) convinced him to give it another shot, and Atlanta is reaping the benefits. In addition to his otherworldly (and perhaps cathartic) six-sack performance against Dallas last week, Clayborn has rated as the 10th-best edge defender in the league (out of 110 qualifiers) per Pro Football Focus. He will be an unrestricted free agent at season’s end, and he could be on the verge of a very nice payday.
- Mike Pettine, who is currently serving as a consultant with the Seahawks, would be one of Matt Nagy‘s top choices for defensive coordinator if Nagy lands a head coaching job this offseason, as Michael Lombardi of The Ringer tweets. Pettine served as the Browns’ head coach from 2014-15, and he was previously a defensive coordinator for the Jets and Bills. Nagy currently works as the Chiefs’ offensive coordinator and is expected to be one of the hottest head coaching candidates in 2018.
Latest On Kam Chancellor
With Richard Sherman and Kam Chancellor out, the Legion of Boom will be a shell of its iconic version on Monday night. Chancellor is likely out for the season with a neck injury suffered against the Cardinals in Week 10.
Chancellor has seen multiple specialists this week, per Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (video link), and ESPN.com’s Josina Anderson reports (on Twitter) the Pro Bowl safety is still looking to play, but the goal as of now could well be a 2018 return.
Pete Carroll isn’t closing the door, however, on a Chancellor re-emergence this season. The eighth-year Seahawks coach isn’t conceding Chancellor’s done for the year, Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times tweets. So an immediate IR move might not be in the works. However, Anderson tweets that move is probably coming. Carroll was vague when asked if Chancellor’s injury could be more serious than a season-ending malady. “We’ll wait and see,” Carroll said, via Brady Henderson of ESPN.com.
This marks the second serious neck injury a Seahawks defender has encountered this season. Cliff Avril wasn’t immediately placed on IR, but the veteran defensive end resides there now.
Chancellor signed a long-coveted Seattle extension this year.
Seahawks’ Kam Chancellor Likely Done For Season
The Seahawks have lost another key member of their secondary. According to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo (via the GMFB Twitter), strong safety Kam Chancellor is likely to miss the rest of the season. The veteran suffered a neck injury during last week’s game against the Cardinals. There was seemingly some optimism that Chancellor’s season wouldn’t be compromised, as coach Pete Carroll noted earlier this week.
“We’ll find out,” Carroll said on 710 ESPN (via Curtis Crabtree of ProFootballTalk.com). “We don’t know yet. He had a stinger thing that happened during the game and we’re going to have to make sure he’s in good shape and he’s OK. Don’t know right now. He’s going to get some tests and make sure. This is stuff that is so crucial that we do a really good job and take our time with and all that. We’re doing that.”
Chancellor, 29, has been a mainstay on the Seahawks defense since 2010. The four-time Pro Bowler was having another productive season in 2017, compiling 49 tackles and a pair of passes defended in nine games. Pro Football Focus has been particularly fond of his 2017 performance, ranking him sixth among 86 eligible safety candidates. Chancellor has missed a handful of games over the past several seasons, including nine regular season contests between 2015 and 2016. The defensive back inked a lucrative three-year, $36MM extension ($25MM guarantee) with the organization prior to this season.
Assuming Chancellor lands on the injured reserve, he’ll be joining fellow defensive back Richard Sherman, who is out with an achilles injury. Fortunately, the team should be seeing some reinforcement on the unit, as Earl Thomas is set to return to the lineup after missing a pair of games with a hamstring injury. The team will presumably turn to their grouping of backup safeties, including Bradley McDougald, Delano Hill, and Tedric Thompson, to fill in for Chancellor.
Notes on Wilson, Lane
- Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson shed some light on the jaw injury that he suffered vs. Arizona last Thursday in a session with the media today. The signal caller said that while he wasn’t concussed in the game, his jaw injury forced him to undergo some drastic treatment in the days after, according to Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times. Condotta relays that Wilson was forced to wear a mouthguard and could not eat solid foods for the three days following the midweek contest. “Basically, the game was on Thursday, so Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, I was pretty sore,” he said. “Tons of ice and treatment and all of that, so I feel good now. … the first two-and-a-half, three days, I couldn’t really eat anything. I was just doing smoothies and all that kind of stuff.” While the injury does sound painful, it looks like Wilson is going to tough it out for Monday night’s game vs. the Falcons.
- While Wilson will remain in the starting lineup, another team leader in Richard Sherman will miss the rest of the season. With that news finally settling in for Seahawks fans, Condotta also passes along that cornerback Jeremy Lane will replace him in the defensive backfield (Twitter link). Lane was notably rescinded in the Duane Brown trade because he failed the Texans physical, and now finds himself as a key cog to Seattle staying afloat in a competitive NFC playoff picture.
Latest On Seahawks’ Richard Sherman
Richard Sherman‘s season is over and it’s possible that his Seahawks tenure could be behind him as well. This offseason, Seattle will have to decide whether to carry the cornerback’s $11MM salary and $13.2MM cap number for 2018. If they feel that the cost is prohibitive, they could ask Sherman to take a pay cut or just release him outright. 
With that in mind, the Seahawks will be paying close attention to Sherman’s recovery. He just recently went under the knife to fix his ruptured Achilles tendon, but Sherman says he has been given a timetable that should allow him to get back on the practice field in May or June (via Liz Mathews of USA Today).
Sherman has been one of the league’s strongest (and most outspoken) cornerbacks for several years running. However, he turns 30 on March 30th and the Seahawks might look to put their dollars in a different direction. The offensive line, for example, could use a revamp, even after the acquisition of Duane Brown.
Sherman ranks as the 20th ranked cornerback in the NFL this year, per Pro Football Focus. His 82.7 overall score is solid, but it is also a career-low.
The good news for Seattle is that teammate Justin Coleman is in the midst of a career year and rates as PFF’s No. 26 CB. They also have Jeremy Lane (back with Seattle after the initial Brown trade was scrapped), third-round pick Jeremy Lane, and the newly-signed Byron Maxwell. If that group can do a good job of holding down the fort, it could push the Seahawks to part ways with Sherman in the spring.
Prosise Could Return For Playoffs
- 49ers safety Adrian Colbert could possibly miss the team’s upcoming game with Seattle after breaking his thumb vs. New York, coach Kyle Shanahan tells reporters and ESPN’s Nick Wagoner (Twitter link). The injury, which will require surgery, was sustained early in the first quarter but Colbert managed to play the rest of the way. Should he not be ready for the Seahawks, Antone Exum and Dexter McCoil are potential replacements, according to NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco (Twitter link).
- Seahawks running back C.J. Prosise could return in time for the postseason, head coach Pete Carroll told reporters, including Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times. The coach said the injury will have Prosise sidelined six weeks, but he must sit out eight games after being placed on IR.
NFL Workout Updates: 11/14/17
Today’s workout updates, with all links going to veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer’s Twitter account unless otherwise noted:
Chicago Bears
- QB Taylor Heinicke; WRs Demarcus Ayers, Canaan Severin, Paul Turner; G Darrell Greene (link)
Cincinnati Bengals
- T Laurence Gibson (link)
Detroit Lions
- DE Armonty Bryant; LB Max Valles; S Duke Ihenacho (link)
Houston Texans
- TEs Brandon Barnes, Gabe Holmes (link)
Indianapolis Colts
- QB Tyler Ferguson; RBs Ka’Deem Carey, Dare Ogunbowale, Juwan Thompson; WRs Dres Anderson, Isaac Fruechte, Alonzo Moore, Tim Patrick (link)
Jacksonville Jaguars
- LSs Ryan DiSalvo, Andrew East, Drew Ferris (link)
New Orleans Saints
New York Giants
- Ks Andrew Franks, Jason Myers (link)
Philadelphia Eagles
- OL Jeremiah Poutasi (link)
San Francisco 49ers
- G Jake Eldrenkamp; C Anthony Fabiano (link)
Seattle Seahawks
- LBs Boseko Lokombo, Jason Thompson (link)
Washington Redskins
- S Lorenzo Jerome (link)
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/14/17
Today’s practice squad updates:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: QB Garrett Grayson
- Waived: K Mike Meyer
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed: CB Sojourn Shelton
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: FB Ricky Ortiz
- Waived: G Jason King
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: WR Dres Anderson
- Waived: WR KeVonn Mabon
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: DT Rickey Hatley
- Waived: T Nick Becton, WR Amba Etta-Tawo
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: S Jack Tocho
- Waived: G Willie Beavers
New York Giants
- Signed: T Nick Becton
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: S Harold Jones-Quartey
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: OL Cameron Hunt
- Placed on injured list: OL J.P. Flynn
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: S Alex Carter, LB P.J. Dawson, CB Trovon Reed
- Placed on injured list: CB Akeem King
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: WR Freddie Martino
- Waived: DE Patrick Gamble, CB David Rivers
Washington Redskins
- Waived: DE Tavaris Barnes
Seahawks Place C.J. Prosise On IR
The Seahawks have placed running back C.J. Prosise on injured reserve, per a team announcement. To take his place, running back Mike Davis has been promoted from the practice squad.
Prosise has been dealing with ankle injuries throughout the season. The most recent flare-up happened during the team’s Nov. 9 win over the Cardinals, forcing him from the game midway. His prognosis apparently wasn’t great heading into this weekend’s game against the Falcons, prompting the team to park him on IR for the rest of the year.
Davis, a fourth-round pick of the Niners in 2015, was claimed off waivers by Seattle in May. Although he didn’t make the Week 1 cut, the Seahawks signed him to the taxi squad after releasing him. The 24-year-old had 19 carries for 50 yards in eight games for the Niners last year. He has yet to show much at the NFL level, but the Seahawks believe that he has a bit of potential.
Davis joins Eddie Lacy (recently sidelined with a groin injury), Thomas Rawls, and J.D. McKissic on the RB depth chart.