Seattle Seahawks News & Rumors

Seahawks’ Uchenna Nwosu To Return To Practice

Uchenna Nwosu has been out of the Seahawks’ lineup since October, but he is making progress in his recovery. The team’s highest-paid edge rusher is set to practice today, per head coach Mike Macdonald. 

“This week is going to be pretty limited,” Macdonald acknowledged when speaking about Nwosu’s immediate workload in practice (via ESPN’s Brady Henderson). “So we won’t be seeing him this week, and then we’ll take it from there.”

Nwosu suffered a thigh injury in Week 5, his season debut. The 27-year-old missed Seattle’s first four games due to an MCL sprain; that did not lead to time on injured reserve, but he was moved to IR after the thigh ailment was suffered. Nwosu’s 21-day activation window will open once he officially takes part in practice, and Macdonald’s remarks confirm he will spend a portion of that time ramping up before he returns to game action.

Once that takes place, the Seahawks’ pass rush will receive a notable boost. Nwosu set a career high with 9.5 sacks during his debut Seattle campaign (2022), and expectations were high entering this season after he was limited to only six games the previous year. Remaining healthy the rest of the way would allow for Nwosu – who is on the books through 2026 – to reprise a starting role along the edge as Seattle looks to remain in contention to win the NFC West.

In his absence, the Seahawks have relied on Derick Hall and Boye Mafe for pass rush production. Hall leads the team with six sacks, and Mafe is tied for second with five; adding Nwosu to the mix will give Seattle a notable trio of options on the edge along with Leonard Williams on the interior. Sitting at 6-5 on the year, the Seahawks rank only 17th in the league in sacks, so improving in that department could be key in reaching the postseason.

Seattle has six IR activations remaining, and using up one of them will be required to bring Nwosu into the fold. Doing so will allow him to make an impact in 2024 as he looks to move past his recent injury troubles.

Updated 2025 NFL Draft Order

The Week 12 slate of games is in the books. For many teams, attention is increasingly turning toward the offseason with a playoff berth no longer in reach.

Plenty of time remains for the draft order to change over the coming months, and it will be interesting to see which teams wind up in position to add at the quarterback spot in particular. The crop of prospects for 2025 is not held in high regard after Shedeur Sanders and Cam Ward, meaning the demand for potential franchise passers is set to outweigh demand at the top of the board. Of course, players like Sanders’ Colorado teammate Travis Hunter will be among the ones worth watching closely as well.

The Jets have moved on from head coach Robert Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas, inviting questions about a reset under center as well. Aaron Rodgers wants to play in 2025, but it remains to be seen how his relationship with the organization will take shape down the stretch and if a new regime will prefer to move on at the position. The Giants, meanwhile, confirmed they will be in the market for a new signal-caller with Daniel Jones no longer in the fold.

Teams such as the Raiders have long been mentioned as a team to watch regarding a rookie QB pursuit. Jayden Daniels was a target for head coach Antonio Pierce last spring, and it would come as no surprise if Vegas were to make a push for a long-term starting option this time around. Other franchises not on track to qualify for the playoffs figure to give the Raiders plenty of competition in that department, though.

For non-playoff teams, the draft order will be determined by the inverted 2024 standings — plus a series of tiebreakers, starting with strength of schedule — with playoff squads being slotted by their postseason outcome and regular-season record. Here is an updated look at the current draft order:

  1. Jacksonville Jaguars: 2-9
  2. New York Giants: 2-9
  3. Las Vegas Raiders: 2-9
  4. New England Patriots: 3-9
  5. Carolina Panthers: 3-8
  6. Tennessee Titans: 3-8
  7. New York Jets: 3-8
  8. Cleveland Browns: 3-8
  9. New Orleans Saints: 4-7
  10. Cincinnati Bengals: 4-7
  11. Dallas Cowboys: 4-7
  12. Chicago Bears: 4-7
  13. Indianapolis Colts: 5-7
  14. Miami Dolphins: 5-6
  15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 5-6
  16. Los Angeles Rams: 5-6
  17. San Francisco 49ers: 5-6
  18. Arizona Cardinals: 6-5
  19. Atlanta Falcons: 6-5
  20. Seattle Seahawks: 6-5
  21. Washington Commanders: 7-5
  22. Houston Texans: 7-5
  23. Denver Broncos: 7-5
  24. Los Angeles Chargers: 7-4
  25. Baltimore Ravens: 8-4
  26. Pittsburgh Steelers: 8-3
  27. Green Bay Packers: 8-3
  28. Minnesota Vikings: 9-2
  29. Philadelphia Eagles: 9-2
  30. Buffalo Bills: 9-2
  31. Kansas City Chiefs: 10-1
  32. Detroit Lions: 10-1

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/23/24

Saturday’s minor moves, including gameday elevations for Week 12:

Arizona Cardinals

Chicago Bears

Denver Broncos

Houston Texans

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

Seahawks Activate S Rayshawn Jenkins

Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald announced that Rayshawn Jenkins would be activated from injured reserve, per Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic. Seattle is expecting their veteran safety to take the field on Sunday against the Cardinals for his first appearance in Week 6.

Jenkins started the Seahawks’ first six games, racking up 38 tackles and a 102-yard fumble return touchdown, the longest in the NFL this season. He played with a cast over his left hand in Weeks 5 and 6, but landed on injured reserve on October 16 to allow his injury to fully recover. The 2017 fourth-round pick returned to practice this week and quickly got back up to speed in the defense.

Jenkins arrived in Seattle this past offseason on a two-year, $12MM contract to pair with Julian Love as starting safeties in Macdonald’s new defense. In Jenkins’ absence, third-year defensive back Coby Bryant has stepped up at safety, ranking fifth on the team with a 73.2 overall defensive grade from Pro Football Focus (subscription required).

While Jenkins is expected to return to a starting role this weekend, Bryant’s emergence will give Macdonald more options in a defense that prioritizes interchangeability between versatile defensive backs. All three players are capable of playing deep safety or sliding into the slot. Jenkins also saw plenty of time in the box in dime packages, so Macdonald could also call more three-safety formations.

The Seahawks currently have 52 players on their active roster, so they will not need to make a corresponding move to accommodate Jenkins’ activation.

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/20/24

Today’s minor NFL moves:

Chicago Bears

Denver Broncos

Los Angeles Rams

  • Practice window opened: G KT Leveston

Minnesota Vikings

Philadelphia Eagles

Seattle Seahawks

Washington Commanders

Unfortunately for Turner-Yell, head coach Sean Payton told the media that it “became too much of a challenge to active” the young safety off the physically unable to perform list, per Chris Tomasson of the Denver Gazette.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/20/24

Wednesday’s practice squad moves:

Chicago Bears

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Seahawks Designate S Rayshawn Jenkins For Return

Going through significant changes at safety this offseason, the Seahawks made Rayshawn Jenkins one of their solutions. While the team has moved on from both its stopgap linebacker starters (Jerome Baker, Tyrel Dodson) already, Jenkins remains in the team’s plan for the regular season’s final third.

The Seahawks designated Jenkins for return Wednesday, The Athletic’s Michael-Shawn Dugar notes. Jenkins has missed time due to a hand injury. The offseason pickup had played multiple games with a hand cast and needed an IR stay; that stint looks to be coming to an end.

Jenkins joined the Seahawks on a two-year, $12MM deal. Considering how Quandre Diggs and Jamal Adams (among other veteran safeties) fared upon being cut, the offseason Jaguars release did well to catch on. Seattle guaranteed the former Jacksonville and Los Angeles starter more than $6MM and used him as a first-stringer exclusively.

Seattle has Julian Love as its new centerpiece safety, having extended the former Giant this summer. The team took on more than $30MM in combined dead money by cutting Adams and Diggs, doing so without post-June 1 designations, but still has shown a preference for veterans on the back end.

Jenkins, 30, has made 86 career starts between his time with the Chargers, Jags and Seahawks. He made a notable impact during the Seahawks-Giants matchup, returning a fumble 102 yards for a touchdown. Seattle has used 2022 fourth-round pick Coby Bryant in Jenkins’ place over the past four games. Pro Football Focus ranks Bryant and Love as top-20 regulars among safeties, which could make for an interesting decision once Jenkins is activated. Although the Seahawks have placed George Fant on IR a second time, they are in good shape for injury activations, holding six going into Week 12.

NFC West Notes: Seahawks, 49ers, Higbee

Signed to similar contracts during the summer of 2022, Deebo Samuel and D.K. Metcalf have each become two of the NFL’s better wide receivers — each being chosen in the 2019 second round. The Seahawks nabbed Metcalf at No. 64 via trade-up, and ESPN’s Adam Schefter notes the team had aimed to first draft Samuel at No. 35. GM John Schneider had worked out a trade-up from No. 37 to No. 35, via the Raiders, but Schefter adds the Silver and Black backed out of the deal. The Raiders instead dealt with the Jaguars, who drafted Jawaan Taylor at 35. The 49ers chose Samuel at 36.

The Seahawks still do not know why the Raiders reneged on the trade, Schefter adds. The Seahawks initially held a higher second-round choice than the Jags, who picked at 38. After Samuel went off the board, Seattle dealt 37 to Carolina (Greg Little) and drafted safety Marquise Blair at No. 47. The Seahawks had planned to pair Samuel and Metcalf, rather than the Ole Miss product — who famously fell to No. 64 after having teams divided during the pre-draft process — being a Samuel fallback option. Though, Metcalf as a WR contingency plan — with Doug Baldwin retirement rumors circulating during the draft — rather than pairing him with Samuel makes a bit more sense due to Tyler Lockett being just 27 at the time. Samuel and Metcalf are going into the final year of their contracts; each team rebuffed trade offers this year.

Here is the latest from the NFC West:

  • Samuel’s San Francisco status may have changed once Brandon Aiyuk suffered an ACL tear. The older 49ers WR had been a rumored 2025 trade chip, as the team prepares for a Brock Purdy payday. Although some around the league have wondered if the 49ers will pay Purdy the going rate (mentioning a Kirk Cousins trade as a backup plan), The Athletic’s Matt Barrows expects Purdy to indeed receive a top-market deal from San Francisco. Purdy going from Mr. Irrelevant to a deal in the $55-$60MM-per-year range would represent one of the most dramatic rises in NFL history; the 2025 offseason is the window for that to happen.
  • Staying on the 49ers-in-2025 theme, the team has seen promising early returns from second-round rookie Renardo Green. The 49ers have viewed Green as a player who can work inside and on the perimeter; that matches Deommodore Lenoir‘s profile. Lenoir is now signed long term, but All-Pro Charvarius Ward is in a contract year. With Lenoir locked in, Ward appears headed back to free agency. As such, Barrows adds Green should be considered the favorite to start opposite Lenoir on the boundary in 2025. Pro Football Focus rates Green as the sixth-best CB regular this season, albeit on only 298 snaps.
  • While Sean McVay said right tackle Rob Havenstein could be back this week, the eighth-year Rams HC indicated (via ESPN.com’s Sarah Barshop) Tyler Higbee remains weeks away from returning. Higbee is still rehabbing the ACL and MCL tears sustained during the Rams’ wild-card loss to the Lions. The ninth-year tight end remains on Los Angeles’ reserve/PUP list. Havenstein has missed the Rams’ past two games with an ankle issue.
  • Jake Moody missed time due to injury this season, being one of three 49ers kickers to go down, and did not impress upon return. Moody missed three field goals against the Buccaneers, prompting a heated Samuel to take issue with the recovered kicker (and long snapper Taybor Pepper). John Lynch said later the 49ers have not considered replacing Moody. “We didn’t blink,” Lynch told KNBR (h/t The Athletic’s David Lombardi). “We have a lot of faith in this kid. We all have rough days. There’s a lot of context to put in these things and Jake has earned a lot of respect from this organization.” Moody’s third-round contract runs through 2026.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/18/24

Today’s practice squad moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Carolina Panthers

Indianapolis Colts

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Rams

Seattle Seahawks

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/18/24

Today’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens

  • Waived from IR: LB Deion Jennings

Dallas Cowboys

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

New England Patriots

New York Jets

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

MarShawn Lloyd‘s path back to the Packers active roster has taken an unusual turn. The rookie third-round pick landed on IR in September with an ankle injury. He returned to practice last week but suffered appendicitis only a few days later, putting his activation within the 21-day window in doubt.

Worried that Lloyd wouldn’t be ready to play by his early-December activation deadline, the Packers consulted with the NFL about the best route forward (per ESPN’s Rob Demovsky). That ultimately led to today’s transaction, which is only the start of several transactional machinations. As Tom Silverstein of Milwaukee Journal Sentinel notes, Lloyd will temporarily join the active roster before landing on the non-football injury list. That means he won’t count against the team’s roster limit until he’s healthy enough to return to the field.

Lloyd doesn’t have a return timetable from this recent setback. While the rookie entered the year as the hopeful RB2 behind Josh Jacobs, there’s a good chance he’ll also behind Emanuel Wilson for the stretch run of the season.