Seahawks Sign Two
- The Seahawks have re-signed safety Jordan Simone, an undrafted rookie from Arizona State whom they waived Monday, and added defensive lineman Greg Milhouse. The 23-year-old Milhouse went undrafted out of Campbell last year and had a short stint with the Giants.
NFC West Notes: Kaepernick, Seahawks, 49ers
Although the Seahawks chose to sign Austin Davis instead of Colin Kaepernick, Seattle general manager John Schneider had nothing but positive words for the free agent quarterback, according to Jeremy Bregman of NFL.com.
“He is committed to football, there’s no question about it,” Schneider said. “The thing that maybe is a misconception is he’s a really, really nice man and he has his thoughts, he has his plan and it’s one of those things where it’s right time, right fit and I’m sure he’s going to find it.”
Kaepernick was internally discussed as an option for the Dolphins before they signed Jay Cutler, and he’s also on the Ravens‘ radar while Joe Flacco deals with a back injury.
Here’s more from the NFC West:
- Prior to his release earlier this year, the 49ers were in discussions with Tramaine Brock about a new contract, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report tweets. However, the Niners will not circle back to him even after learning that the charges against him have been dropped.
- 49ers guard Joshua Garnett will undergo arthroscopic knee surgery and the team admits his Week 1 status is shaky. “Timeframe, I haven’t been given one yet,” Shanahan said (transcription via PFT). “I’m hoping that he has a chance for Week 1, but I know that’s going to be a battle.” That jibes with previous reports about Garnett’s timeline.
- The release of Jeremy Zuttah was a difficult decision, but coach Kyle Shanahan said it was made easier by the fact that Daniel Kilgore has established himself at center (Twitter link via Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com). Kilgore will likely serve as the team’s starting center now that Zuttah is out of the picture.
Seahawks Waive Two
Seattle Seahawks
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/7/17
Today’s minor moves:
Buffalo Bills
- Waived/injured: TE Keith Towbridge
Chicago Bears
- Signed: WR Alton Howard
- Waived: K Andy Phillips
Houston Texans
- Waived: TE Zach Conque
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: DT Maurice Swain
- Waived: LB Reshard Cliett
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: TE Mike Estes, WR Cameron Posey
- Waived/injured: TE Asante Cleveland
Los Angeles Rams
- Waived/injured: WR Bradley Marquez
Miami Dolphins
- Waived: DE Arthur Miley
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: TE Jake McGee
- Waived/injured: TE Scott Orndoff
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: T Darrell Brown
- Waived: S Jordan Simone
Washington Redskins
- Signed: S Tim Scott
- Waived: S Josh Evans, S Earl Wolff
- Waived from IR: DB Lou Young
Seahawks Notes: McDowell, Lacy
Speaking to the media today, Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll said today that rookie defensive tackle Malik McDowell is going to be sidelined “quite a while” after suffering injuries in an ATV accident last week, according to Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times (Twitter link). Initial reports indicated McDowell could be in danger of missing the 2017 campaign, and Carroll confirmed “it might be a lot to ask” McDowell to play during the upcoming season, tweets Dave Mahler of 950 KJR. Seattle has already placed McDowell on the non-football injury list, meaning he isn’t currently counting against the club’s roster count.
- For the third time this year, Seahawks running back Eddie Lacy has met a weight requirement that will net him $55K, per Sheil Kapadia of ESPN.com. Lacy earned $55K in May for weighing in below 255 pounds, while his two most recent thresholds were 250 pounds. Signed to a one-year deal in March, Lacy’s contract has a base value of $4.25MM, which includes $385K in weight bonuses. An additional $1.3MM is available via incentives.
Seahawks Make Two Moves
- The Seahawks signed receiver Jamel Johnson and waived wideout Rodney Smith, per Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk. This is the second Seattle stint for Johnson, who was previously with the organization from late January through early May. Johnson went undrafted back in 2014 and has also been a member of the Green Bay organization. Smith, who signed with the Seahawks in January, combined to appear in eight games with the Vikings and Browns from 2013-14.
- The Panthers signed tight end Bryce Williams and waived-injured safety Travelle Dixon. The Panthers are the fourth team for Williams, who has also spent time with the Patriots, Rams and Seahawks since going undrafted out of East Carolina last year. Dixon, undrafted from Washington two years ago, first joined the Panthers in January 2016.
Seahawks Place Malik McDowell On NFI List
As expected, the Seahawks have placed rookie Malik McDowell on the non-football injury list. It was the team’s only real recourse after the defensive tackle suffered injuries in an ATV crash earlier this summer. 
McDowell’s injuries are not career- or life-threatening, but his status for the 2017 remains murky. The youngster is dealing with a number of head injuries that could keep him from seeing the field for a while.
The 6’6″ lineman was the Seahawks’ first selection in the draft and the No. 35 overall pick. Originally holding the No. 25 selection, the Seahawks moved down three times — adding lots of extra draft capital in the process — before selecting McDowell at the top of the second round.
The Seahawks were use McDowell as a feature player on the defensive line, potentially having him start next to Jarran Reed at defensive tackle. If he’s out for an extended period, the team will have to turn to the likes of Jarran Reed and Ahtyba Rubin for support. The Seahawks may also be inclined to take a look at available options.
Jets’ Richardson: Two Teams Wanted Pay Cut
The Jets have been looking to move Sheldon Richardson for some time, but they have been unable to find a suitable trade for the last year. Apparently, teams have been able to agree on trade compensation with Gang Green, but they also asked that the defensive lineman accept a pay cut. Richardson says the Seahawks and Redskins both wanted to acquire him, but they requested a pay slash that he was not willing to take. 
“It’s a business, bro,” Richardson told Manish Mehta of the Daily News. “There was one team that asked me to take a pay cut … and it was Seattle. And Washington too. There were a lot of offers. A lot of good offers. You’d be surprised.”
This year, Richardson is owed a fully-guaranteed $8.1MM salary, a price that’s a bit too rich for a player who has experienced off-the-field trouble and slipping production in recent years. Still, he’s immensely talented and, at his best, he’s among the best front seven players in the league. Seeing the potential in Richardson, the Seahawks and Redskins were probably willing to give up something decent in the way of draft compensation, but they wanted him at a more affordable rate.
Richardson had 62 total tackles and 1.5 sacks in 15 games last year. Richardson finished the year as Pro Football Focus’ No. 19 ranked edge defender, putting him in a three-way tie with Nick Perry of the Packers and Frank Clark of the Seahawks. His 81.6 overall score was a career low, weighed down by his weak 63.0 mark as a pass rusher.
Seahawks Waive Nolan Frese
- The Seahawks waived long snapper Nolan Frese, who appeared in all 16 of their regular-season games a year ago. An ankle injury kept the then-rookie out of action for the Seahawks’ two playoff contests, and Tyler Ott took over in Frese’s stead. Ott will again grab the reins with Frese out of the picture.
NFC West Notes: 49ers, Hyde, Seahawks
Although the 49ers have several key players, including safety Eric Reid and running back Carlos Hyde, entering their respective contract seasons, it doesn’t as though San Francisco has extension offers lined up for free agents-to-be, according to Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com.
“I would say that we’re always having internal discussions, Kyle (Shanahan) and myself and our staffs,” general manager John Lynch said. “And, we really try to be forward thinking looking out, not just this year but three to five years and saying, ‘OK, let’s look at the construct of our roster.’ But, our priority was let’s provide competition at each and every position. And so, that’s why we were so active this year to go out and to be able to really judge this and judge those guys in particular. There’s going to be a little more urgency with some of them, but we’re going to let this play out a little bit and see how they fit with what we want to do.”
Here’s more from the NFC West:
- The Seahawks gave former Philadelphia first rounder Marcus Smith a one-year, $690K deal with zero guarantees, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. The deal carries a maximum value of $1.44MM. Smith hasn’t done much in his three NFL seasons so far, but the Seahawks are hoping to get something out of him as a reserve.
- Lance Dunbar was signed to serve as the backup to running back Todd Gurley, but given that the former Cowboy is on active/PUP and has no timetable to return from injury, Malcolm Brown is taking the lion’s share of work as the Rams‘ No. 2, as Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com writes. Brown, a 2015 undrafted free agent out of Texas, has managed only 22 carries in two pro seasons, but new Los Angeles head coach Sean McVay has been “pleasantly surprised” by Brown’s training camp work, per Gonzalez. The Rams could still look at external options — they’ve talked with free agent Rashad Jennings — but for now, Brown is on track to take over the backup role.
Dallas Robinson contributed to this post.