George Fant suffered a knee injury in Seattle’s season opener, and it kept him sidelined for Week 2. The ailment will now lead to an extended absence.
Fant was placed on injured reserve Saturday, per a team announcement. The 32-year-old represented a veteran swing tackle option to fill in for Abraham Lucas as right tackle while also being capable of handling time on the blindside if Charles Cross were to miss time. Lucas remains on the PUP list, so he will be out until Week 5 at the earliest. Fant will be unavailable for at least the next four games.
To fill his roster spot, the Seahawks promoted McClendon Curtis from the practice squad. Curtis spent the offseason competing for a role of some kind along the O-line, and he found himself in the mix for the right guard spot at one point. The former UDFA was next on the depth chart behind Fant at right tackle, though, and he was quickly re-signed by Seattle not long after a brief tenure with the Raiders following Seattle’s decision to cut him at the end of the summer. Curtis, 25, has just two regular season appearances to his name.
Seattle also made a pair of gameday callups from the practice squad ahead of tomorrow’s contest. Linebacker Patrick O’Connell was elevated, opening the door for him to make his first appearance of the season and second of his career. The team’s other callup is edge rusher Tyus Bowser. The former Ravens second-rounder joined the Seahawks on a practice squad deal after roster cutdowns, reuniting him with head coach Mike Macdonald, and Week 3 could mark his Seattle debut.
Bowser suffered an Achilles tear in 2021, and his recovery from the injury limited him to nine games the following campaign. The 29-year-old then missed all of last season due to a knee injury, making it no surprise he was released by Baltimore. Bowser – who took workouts with the Titans and Cowboys by signing in Seattle – could offer healthy depth along the edge with Uchenna Nwosu on the mend and both Boye Mafe and Derick Hall listed as questionable for tomorrow.
The Seahawks have all eight of their IR activations as things stand after they did not designate anyone for return at the roster cutdown deadline. Bringing Fant back into the fold will use up one activation, and for the time being Seattle’s tackle play with limited depth will be worth watching.