As part of their reduction to 53 players, the Seahawks have released veteran offensive tackle Eric Winston, a source tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (Twitter link). Winston signed with Seattle near the end of July, so he only lasted about a month on the team’s roster.
Winston, 30, has been one of the league’s most durable linemen over the last few years, starting all 16 of his teams’ games in Houston, Kansas City, and – most recently – Arizona in each of the last seven seasons. According to Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required), the former third-round pick ranked as just the 69th-best tackle out of 76 qualified players last season. However, that may have been an aberration, considering Winston recorded consistently positive grades in every year leading up to 2013.
The president of the NFLPA, Winston looked to have a decent chance at a roster spot, or even a place in the starting lineup, in Seattle, where the departure of Breno Giacomini in free agency, along with Michael Bowie‘s release, left the right tackle position up for grabs. Instead, he’ll return to the free agent market.