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Seattle Seahawks News & Rumors

NFC Notes: Buccaneers, Darnold, Cowboys

December 7th, 2021 at 10:39pm CST by Ben Levine

Imagine a loaded Buccaneers offense with…Jonathan Taylor at running back. It could have been a possibility, as the Buccaneers had their eye on the Wisconsin product during the 2020 draft, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

The Bucs were armed with the No. 14 heading into that draft, and Taylor was on the “short list” of players the organization was considering with that selection. The team ended up with their preferred prospect, offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs, and they traded up to No. 13 to make sure they got the lineman. However, if Wirfs was off the board at that point in the draft, then Tampa Bay likely would have pivoted to Taylor, who didn’t hear his name come off the board until midway through the second round.

“I loved him,” Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians said recently (via Schefter). “He could do it all, and it was just a matter of time — playing behind that offensive line — that he was going to be the force that he is.”

Taylor has obviously had a standout season with the Colts, leading the league with 1,348 rushing yards and 16 rushing touchdowns (naturally, he’s also leading the NFL with 1,684 yards from scrimmage and 18 total scores). Of course, things have worked out fine for the Buccaneers. Wirfs has started all 28 of his career games, while the duo of Leonard Fournette and Ronald Jones were more than capable during Tampa Bay’s 2020 Super Bowl run.

Some more notes out of the NFC…

  • Sam Darnold seems to be out of the picture in Carolina, but the Panthers still owe the quarterback $18.8MM in guaranteed money in 2022. The team already paid Denver $7MM to inherit Teddy Bridgewater, leaving the organization with $17MM in dead cap. As a result, Joseph Person of The Athletic believes Darnold will stick around as a high-priced backup vs. being involved in a salary dump. Person specifically cites a 2017 trade where the Texans attached a second-round pick to Brock Osweiler to dump his salary on Cleveland; league sources tell the reporter that “an Osweiler-type trade involving Darnold is unlikely.”
  • Cowboys senior defensive assistant George Edwards is a candidate for the head coaching job at his alma mater, Duke University, reports NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero (via Twitter). Edwards was a four-year player for Duke, and he served as an assistant on the Duke staff way back in 1996. He’s had a long coaching career since that time, including a recent six-year stint as the Vikings defensive coordinator. Edwards has been a senior defensive assistant with the Cowboys since 2020. Duke parted ways with David Cutcliffe last month.
  • Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com recently tweeted the 10 highest salary cap hits for 2022, and the top three spots all belong to the NFC. Falcons QB Matt Ryan and his $48.7MM cap hit leads the way, following by Packers QB Aaron Rodgers at $46.1MM and Vikings QB Kirk Cousins at $45MM. Other NFC players on the list include Seahawks QB Russell Wilson (sixth, $37MM), Cowboys QB Dak Prescott (ninth, $34.5MM), and Lions QB Jared Goff (10th, $31.2MM).

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/7/21

December 7th, 2021 at 8:42am CST by Zachary Links

Today’s taxi squad moves:

Atlanta Falcons

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

Green Bay Packers

New York Giants

New York Jets

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Seahawks Owner Jody Allen Concerned With Team’s Performance

December 5th, 2021 at 8:40am CST by Rory Parks

The Seahawks find themselves at 3-8 and at the bottom of the NFC West, and unless they run the table, they will post a losing record for the first time in the Russell Wilson era. As Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network reports, owner Jody Allen does not consider the disappointing 2021 campaign — which saw Wilson miss games for the first time in his career — as a one-year blip (via Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk).

Allen inherited the team from her brother, Paul Allen, who passed away in October 2018. Like Paul, Jody has largely stayed in the background and has allowed head coach Pete Carroll to function as the de facto CEO. Garafolo, though, says that Allen has recently become “very involved” in the operation, which suggests that a major shakeup could be on the way.

Of course, trade rumors swirled around Wilson last offseason, and there has been speculation that the Seahawks could end up dealing their franchise signal-caller in 2022. Doug Kyed of Pro Football Focus hears that if Wilson is still anxious to leave Seattle, he may not need to force his way out, as the club may be open to swinging a trade in the coming months. After all, the team is without a 2022 first-round draft choice as a result of the July 2020 Jamal Adams trade, and trading Wilson would doubtlessly yield a bounty of draft capital.

On the other hand, this year’s class of college QBs is not considered particularly strong, and Wilson’s bottom-line statistics in 2021 are consistent with his career marks. If Allen truly does believe a dramatic change is in order, then a trade might make sense, but it will be very difficult to pull that particular trigger.

The same goes for Carroll. Now 70, Carroll is signed through the 2025 season, and he said last September that he wanted to coach well into his 70s. It’s unclear if he would want to coach through a rebuild, though if the Seahawks end up trading Wilson and can find a way to adequately replace him, there may not be much (if any) rebuild to speak of. And unless Carroll wants to step away, either because of a strained relationship with ownership or some other reason, it is still hard to imagine Allen going in a different direction.

There is obviously a great deal of uncertainty here. The real story is that Allen has apparently deviated in a significant way from her own modus operandi and that of her predecessor. What that ultimately means for the Seahawks remains to be seen, but it is at least possible that significant changes could be on the way for one of the decade’s most consistent outfits.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/4/21

December 4th, 2021 at 4:41pm CST by Zachary Links

Today’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Rams

Minnesota Vikings

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Seahawks To Promote Adrian Peterson

December 4th, 2021 at 9:53am CST by Zachary Links

The Seahawks are promoting Adrian Peterson from the practice squad (Twitter link via Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com). With that, Peterson is set to play against the 49ers on Sunday afternoon. 

Peterson signed with the Seahawks’ taxi squad on Wednesday, providing insurance for Seattle’s badly battered backfield. Already without starting running back Chris Carson, the Seahawks will also be without backup Rashaad Penny for a while. Travis Homer, who has performed well in a very limited sample size, remains questionable with a calf injury. That’s left Alex Collins in the lead role — he’s registered 395 yards and two touchdowns this year off of 101 totes.

Peterson, 36, has just 27 carries for 82 yards and one touchdown so far this year, from his time with the Titans. His last full-time action came in 2020 with the Lions, when he recorded 604 yards and seven rushing touchdowns with a so-so 3.9 yards per carry average.

He might not be the player he once was, but Peterson could help the Seahawks’ struggling offense move the chains in small doses. He’ll also have a chance at history — another 367 rushing yards will put him in the 15,000-yard club for RBs.

Seahawks Sign Adrian Peterson

December 1st, 2021 at 4:18pm CST by Ben Levine

Adrian Peterson has added another stop to his illustrious resume. The veteran running back is signing with the Seahawks, head coach Pete Carroll told reporters (via Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times on Twitter). Peterson will initially join the team’s practice squad before getting elevated to the active roster. The running back worked out for the Seahawks earlier today.

The Seahawks have dealt with injuries to the running backs corps all season long. The team already lost starting running back Chris Carson for the season, and Rashaad Penny is currently dealing with an injury of his own (although Carroll told reporters that the running back may be able to play this weekend and will avoid an IR stint for now (via Condotta)). Seattle’s struggling ground game has been led by Alex Collins, who has turned 101 carries into 395 yards and two touchdowns. The team is also rostering DeeJay Dallas and Travis Homer, and they have Josh Johnson stashed on the practice squad.

While Peterson has had a Hall of Fame-worthy career, it remains to be seen if he can provide more than any of Seattle’s current options at the position. The 36-year-old saw time in three games (two starts) for the Titans this year, collecting only 90 yards and one touchdown on 31 touches (good for 2.9 yards per touch). Peterson was waived by Tennessee in late November. Peterson’s last full-time action came in 2020 with the Lions when he notched 604 yards and seven rushing touchdowns.

He’ll have an opportunity to join the 15,000-yard club for running backs, and with 367 more rushing yards, he would pass Barry Sanders for fourth all-time. His NFL career followed a standout stint at Oklahoma, and Carroll told reporters that he tried to recruit the running back while he was at USC (via Condotta).

Seahawks Hosting Adrian Peterson

December 1st, 2021 at 1:28pm CST by Zachary Links

Adrian Peterson could be on the verge of making his NFL return. The legendary running back is in Seattle today meeting with the Seahawks (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). 

If he joins the Seahawks, he’ll have an opportunity to join the 15,000-yard club for running backs, and with 367 more rushing yards, he would pass Barry Sanders for fourth all-time. If things don’t work out in Seattle, he could still find an opportunity elsewhere. The Ravens, Raiders, Bills, Falcons, and Dolphins were all said to have interest in him earlier this year, before his deal with Tennessee.

The Seahawks have already lost starting running back Chris Carson for the season, and Rashaad Penny may also have played his last snap of the year. In their absence, Seattle’s struggling ground game has been led by Alex Collins, who has turned 101 carries into 395 yards and two touchdowns.

The earliest Peterson could play would be this Sunday, when the Seahawks host the 49ers.

[SOURCE LINK]

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/1/21

December 1st, 2021 at 8:15am CST by Zachary Links

Today’s taxi squad moves:

Baltimore Ravens

Chicago Bears

Detroit Lions

New England Patriots

Philadelphia Eagles

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Seahawks’ Rashaad Penny To Miss Time

November 28th, 2021 at 1:42pm CST by Zachary Links

More bad news for Rashaad Penny. Thanks to his latest hamstring flare-up, the Seahawks running back will be held out of tomorrow night’s game against Washington (Twitter link via Adam Jude of the Seattle Times). Beyond that, head coach Pete Carroll says that the injury could result in him reverting to IR, which would rule him out for the rest of the year.

Penny’s hammy and calf issues have limited him to just four games this year. All in all, he has just 17 carries for 43 yards and one score on the year. He also sat out the majority of the 2020 campaign while recovering from a torn ACL.

On top of that, Travis Homer has been ruled out for this week with a calf injury. The Seahawks — already without Chris Carson thanks to a season-ending neck injury, are down to just Alex Collins, DeeJay Dallas, and newcomer B.J. Emmons. Practice squader Josh Johnson could be elevated for additional support, but the Seahawks may need to consider other options in the long-term.

For Penny, it’s yet another setback in what was shaping up to be a promising career. Through his first two seasons in the NFL, Penny notched 947 all-purpose yards and six touchdowns. And, in 2019, he managed a 5.7 yards per carry average, albeit in a limited sample size of 65 totes.

The Seahawks have already declined Penny’s fifth-year option, so he’s on course for free agency in the spring.

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