Russell Wilson Would Be OK With Kaepernick Signing
The Seahawks have some interest in signing Colin Kaepernick and starter Russell Wilson will not stand in the way of a potential deal. Even though the two quarterbacks are former divisional rivals, Wilson would not have any sort of problem with the signing, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter links) hears. 
Kaepernick and Wilson squared off a number of times in intra-divisional games, including the Seahawks’ victory over the Niners in the 2013 NFC Championship. If there was ever any real bad blood between the two QBs, however, it is water under the bridge now.
Signing Kaepernick could be somewhat polarizing for fans, but the Seahawks believe that he is the best backup option available, according to Rapoport. The Seahawks also looked into fellow former Niners QBs Blaine Gabbert and Christian Ponder, but they still see No. 7 as the No. 1 choice.
In regular season tilts against the Seahawks, Kaepernick went 2-6 in eight games. He completed just 55.61% of his passes and threw for only three TDs against seven interceptions.
Seahawks Like Kaepernick Over RG3
This week, Pete Carroll made waves when he said that the team is considering both Colin Kaepernick and RG3 as potential backups for Russell Wilson. Apparently, the team’s interest in Kaepernick is far stronger than its interest in Griffin. Kaepernick is a “potential, legitimate option” that the Seahawks are mulling while the chance of a Griffin signing is more of a “remote possibility,” according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (video link). 
A few short years ago, the idea of Griffin being a potential backup quarterback was unthinkable. Now, RGIII wishes he could get real consideration as a backup quarterback. As far as we know, no teams have really pursued him this spring and Carroll’s mention of him on Monday was the first time we’ve really heard his name from an NFL official this offseason.
Last year was supposed to be a fresh start for Griffin, but a major shoulder injury suffered in Week 1 of the 2016 season derailed everything. When the Browns activated him from IR later in the year, he still couldn’t recapture the magic of his 2012 rookie campaign. Griffin did help the Browns to their lone win last season, but he did very little to boost his own market heading into free agency.
RG3 completed 87 of 147 passes (59.2% completion rate) and threw for 886 yards with two scores against three interceptions last year. If he had enough snaps to qualify for Pro Football Focus’ rankings at QB, his overall score would have placed him among the worst at the position.
Seahawks To Use McDowell More At DE
- The Seahawks don’t plan to play Malik McDowell as a defensive tackle, but rather as an interior player on passing downs, Sheil Kapadia of ESPN.com notes, adding that Pete Carroll wants him to operate in a Michael Bennett-like capacity. That means McDowell may be a second-stringer as a rookie but play multiple positions. While Carroll said the second-round pick would see time at the three-technique spot in Seattle’s 4-3 scheme, he doesn’t view the Michigan State product as a pure tackle. “We’ll play him a little more at defensive end,” Carroll said, per Kapadia. “He played inside a lot. He was over the center a lot, and he doesn’t look like that kind of player in our system to us.” The Seahawks still have 2016 second-rounder Jarran Reed and Ahtyba Rubin at defensive tackle, along with third-round rookie Nazair Jones.
Seahawks Moving Mike Tyson To CB?
- The Seahawks used a sixth-round pick on Cincinnati safety Mike Tyson, but those rooting for the menacingly named defender to double as a hard-hitting back-line option in the Legion of Boom may be disappointed. Tyson was practicing at cornerback during the Seahawks’ rookie minicamp, according to Sheil Kapadia of ESPN.com. Although, the 6-foot-2 defensive back drew a Byron Maxwell comparison from Pete Carroll, so that’s a good start for a player who might be changing positions.
Minor NFC Transactions: 5/15/17
Earlier today, we rounded up some minor moves out of the AFC. In the interest of equal time, we turn our attention to the NFC:
- The Rams signed two Northwestern State alums in wide receiver Shakeir Ryan and running back De’Mard Llorens, Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com reports. In addition to the skill-position talents from the Natchitoches, Louisiana-based program, the Rams added another small-school product in Mary Hardin-Baylor linebacker Teidrick Smith. The two Division I-FCS talents and Division III defender will displace two Rams in defensive back Jared Collins and offensive lineman Shaq McMeans, per Gonzalez. Their roster currently houses 89 players.
- Former Georgia Tech quarterback Justin Thomas signed with the Saints, who also added guard Josh LeRibeus and running back Trey Edmunds, Nick Underhill of The Advocate reports. The 5-foot-11 Thomas operated as a dual-threat quarterback with the Yellowjackets and probably would convert positions for an NFL opportunity. He rushed for more than 1,000 yards as a sophomore in the program’s run-centric offense and threw for 18 touchdown passes that season. In the two subsequent slates, Thomas combined to throw 21 TDs. The son of former Dolphins Pro Bowl tight end Ferrell Edmunds, Trey Edmunds served as a reserve at Virginia Tech and Maryland.
- On a busy Monday, the Saints signed Drew Iddings, a source tells Underhill (on Twitter). Iddings, a former defensive lineman, will be trying to stick as an offensive guard. The 6-foot-6, 290-pound athlete has no significant experience on offense, but New Orleans believes that the powerful lineman can make a smooth transition. In college at South Dakota, Iddings appeared in 46 games and totaled 149 tackles and eight sacks.
- The Seahawks cut quarterback Skyler Howard and fullback Brandon Cottom and signed fullback Kyle Coleman and wide receiver Speedy Noil, per a team announcement. Noil entered the draft early out of Texas A&M. He caught just 42 passes combined the past two seasons.
- Giants signed wide receiver Kevin Snead, a Carson-Newman product, after his tryout. Snead, a former track star, reportedly ran a sub-4.3-second 40-yard-dash. To make room, the team waived offensive lineman Martin Wallace.
- The Lions have signed free agent offensive tackle Arturo Uzdavinis and waived tackle Pierce Burton.
- The Vikings signed guard Freddie Tagaloa after a successful rookie minicamp tryout, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets.
- The Cardinals signed wide receiver Larry Clark.
Seahawks Considering Kaepernick, RG3
The Seahawks are looking to add some competition behind starter Russell Wilson and that could lead them to sign a high-profile signal caller. When asked about the possibility of signing Colin Kaepernick or Robert Griffin III on Monday, Carroll said they are monitoring both players. 
[RELATED: Eddie Lacy Makes Weight In First Seahawks Check]
“We’re looking at everybody. We really are,” Carroll said (via ESPN.com’s Sheil Kapadia). “We’ve been tracking everything that’s going on, and we’ve got cap and roster issues and stuff like that that we’re still trying to manage properly. But quite frankly, yes, we are looking at all those guys.”
As it stands, Trevone Boykin is slated to be Wilson’s primary backup, but his March arrest probably has the team considering other options. Jake Heaps and UDFA Skyler Howard are also on the roster, but both lack NFL experience.
With today’s statement from Carroll, the Seahawks become the first known team to express any level of interest in Kaepernick or Griffin. Kaepernick, it seems, hasn’t found much of a market because of his controversial political views. Griffin, meanwhile, was lobbying for a chance with the Jets earlier this offseason but that interest was not reciprocated.
A case can be made that Kaepernick had something of a bounce back season in 2016 when he threw for 16 touchdowns against four interceptions and finished second among QBs in rushing yards with 468. When it comes to Griffin, no one really knows what to make of him after he missed all but five games in 2016. In that limited sample with the Browns, Griffin went 1-4 with two TDs against three picks and a poor 59.2% completion rate. We haven’t seen Griffin turn in anything close to a real season since 2014 and he hasn’t been able to reprise his outstanding 2012 rookie season.
NFC West Rumors: Lacy, Seahawks, Rams
There were rumblings earlier this offseason about Eddie Lacy‘s conditioning, but the running back made weight on his first scheduled weigh-in of the offseason, per his agents (on Twitter). By weighing in at 253 pounds (under the 255-pound requirement), the Seahawks running back will earn a $55K bonus on his free agent deal. From here on out, he’ll weigh in every month from now through the end of the calendar year and make $55K by coming in under the max. To cash in on all of these weight-driven incentives, he’ll need to weigh 250 in June, July and August and 245 from September through December.
Lacy reportedly weighed in at 267 pounds during one of his free agent visits and while that hasn’t been confirmed by the player, the Seahawks apparently felt a need to keep him on track throughout the year. Lacy signed with Seattle this offseason on a one-year, $5.5MM deal with $3MM fully guaranteed. If Lacy can keep the extra weight off while moving the chains, he’ll could be in line for a more lucrative deal next spring.
Here’s more out of the NFC West:
- Cardinals coach Bruce Arians believes that Blaine Gabbert can get a “fresh start” with the Cardinals, as Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com writes. Gabbert, a former first-round pick, is 9-31 in his NFL career as a starter. Arians argues that a lack of stability has hurt his progress. In six seasons, Gabbert has played for seven head coaches and six different offensive coordinators on two teams. He’ll now try to make things work with a third team after signing with the Cardinals this month.
- The Rams want Tavon Austin to play a DeSean Jackson-type role in the new offense, as Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com writes. Austin is facing a critical year as the team can cut him loose next year with just $5MM in dead money. The Rams gave him a fat four-year, $42MM extension just weeks before the start of the 2016 season, but he’ll have to show something to the new staff if he wants to play out that contract.
- The 49ers tried to trade into the middle of the first round to select Reuben Foster. Luckily for them, Foster continued to slip and SF managed to get him with a late first round pick acquired during the draft.
Tom Cable Predicts Great Season For Luke Joeckel
- Luke Joeckel represents the biggest investment the Seahawks made in free agency this offseason, but given his disappointing tenure as a left tackle for the Jaguars — which ultimately forced him to move to guard — and his season-ending knee injury in 2016, there is plenty of skepticism about his ability to bolster Seattle’s underwhelming O-line. But Seahawks offensive line coach Tom Cable is bullish on Joeckel’s outlook. As Sheil Kapadia of ESPN.com writes, Cable said during a recent radio interview that Joeckel played as well as any guard in the league before his injury last season, and he believes his coaching will only make Joeckel better. Of course, Joeckel only signed a one-year pact, so if he does play well and stay healthy, the Seahawks will likely have to pay a premium to keep him.
Seahawks Sign 8 UDFAs
The Seahawks have always placed an emphasis on signing undrafted free agents that can make a difference and they hope they have unearthed a few gems in this year’s class. Today, the Seahawks announced the signing of eight UDFAs, along with deals for four of their draft picks. Here’s the full rundown:
UDFAs:
- FB Algernon Brown (BYU)
- QB Skyler Howard (West Virginia)
- DT Jeremy Liggins (Mississippi)
- LB Otha Peters (Louisiana-Lafayette)
- WR Darreus Rogers (USC)
- G Jordan Roos (Purdue)
- TE Tyrone Swoopes (Texas)
- LB Nick Usher (Texas-El Paso)
Draft signings:
- S Tedric Thompson (fourth round)
- OT Justin Senior (sixth round)
- WR David Moore (seventh round)
- RB Chris Carson (seventh round)
Roos will receive a larger-than-usual $20K package for signing with Seattle, as Tom Pelissero of USA Today tweets. Roos, a 6’4″, 302 pound guard out of Purdue, was a four-year starter for the Boilermakers. Even though he was not invited to the NFL combine, the Seahawks kept an eye on him and quickly scooped him up after the draft.
As detailed by Matthew Martinez of the Star Telegram, Howard took an unorthodox route to the NFL. Coming out of high school in Texas, Howard didn’t garner any college consideration. After establishing himself at a JUCO college in California, Howard found his way to West Virginia where he finally got attention on a national level.
“I knew I was going to play in college, whether I had offers or not,” Howard said. “I knew it was going to happen, I just didn’t know the winding road would take me to West Virginia and I’d come full circle to train for the draft in my own backyard.”
Seahawks Sign One, Cut One
Seattle Seahawks