Immediately after being eliminated from the playoffs, the Seattle Seahawks busily added several players on reserve/future contracts. Let’s take a look at all of the players added.
Paxton Lynch
Lynch was once a highly-regarded draft pick of the Denver Broncos. He posted fair stats in a few starts and a handful more appearances but was released around the start of the 2018 season. (Our own Griffin Clark broke down the Lynch signing in more depth recently.) With Russell Wilson being the only contract returning to Seattle next season, the Lynch signing is important. But Lynch still isn’t a lock for the backup role. The Seahawks will likely add another young quarterback via the draft or free agency to compete for the #2 spot during training camp.
Sam Ficken
The Seahawks made a great choice in bringing Sam Ficken aboard ahead of a busy offseason at the kicker position. (Griffin Clark broke it all down recently.) Ficken was on the Rams roster for two separate occasions this past season and posted decent stats in place of injured starter Greg Zuerlein. He is certainly not a lock to be a Seahawk in 2019, but the latest injury to aging kicker Sebastian Janikowski certainly helps Ficken’s chances to play in Seattle next year.
Jamie Meder
Meder had strong 2015 (16 games, 33 tackles, one sack) and 2016 (16 games, 48 tackles, one sack, one pass deflection) seasons with the Cleveland Browns. However, his career hit a decline in 2017, when he appeared in just 10 games and made just 13 tackles. A nagging ankle injury landed him on the injured reserve that November. He was later released and somewhat surprisingly remained a free agent before the whole season before inking a reserve/futures deal with Seattle recently.
Marcus Henry
Henry, an un-drafted center, also went unsigned throughout the entire 2016 and 2017 seasons before latching on with the Seahawks during their 2018 training camp program and making on-and-off appearances on their roster. He joins a center position that features Justin Britt as the lone athlete with backup Joey Hunt hitting free agency.
Marwin Evans
Evans, an un-drafted safety, has spent the majority of his career with the Green Bay Packers, where he appeared in all 32 games over two seasons before being released in 2018 and remaining a free agent until he joined the Seahawks. He adds help at a safety position that comes with many questions ahead of the 2019 season with Earl Thomas hitting free agency.
Justin Currie
Currie, also an un-drafted safety, spent training camp with the New York Giants in 2015 before his stint with them ended as he suffered a fractured ankle. He latched on with the Cleveland Browns in late 2016 and has been off and on their practice squad and roster over the last two years before being waived at the start of the 2018 season. He spent the rest of the season on the Seahawks’ practice squad after being signed in October. He’ll have some work to do before making the 2019 roster.
Jordan Roos
Roos, an offensive lineman, will be returning for his third season with the Seahawks but hopes to see more action than in the past. Roos has mainly had a large impact on the special teams unit thanks to his terrific blocking that has helped out elite kick returner Tyler Lockett. Despite this, he did not make the 2018 roster and was stuck on the practice squad. With injuries and impending free agents, Roos has more of a legitimate shot at making the active roster in 2019.
Simeon Thomas
Thomas enters his second professional football season in 2019. After spending the entire 2018 preseason with the Browns, he was cut and claimed off waivers by Seattle. However, Thomas was quickly cut and added to the practice squad following the return of teammate Earl Thomas. Thomas’s size provides excitement for his future and could provide solid aid in the secondary in 2019. He seems like he’s going to make the roster; now, it’s a question of how much time he’ll spend on the field.
Jeremy Boykins
Boykins, a 6′-1″ cornerback, played with current Seahawks Shaquem and Shaquill Griffin in college at UCF. During his two years at the college, Boykins appeared in 16 games, making 35 tackles, four pass deflections, and no interceptions. Originally undrafted, the Tennessee Titans took a chance with him but released him prior to their roster cuts after he suffered a groin injury last season. Later, he joined the Atlanta Falcons practice squad but found his way back to the same unit in Tennessee before being released in June and latching on with the Seahawks, who cut him and then put him on their own practice squad.
Caleb Scott
Scott, an un-drafted wide receiver out of Vanderbilt, had an impressive rookie preseason in 2018 but was still released during final cuts by Seattle and landed on the practice squad, where he stayed for the entire season. Although he has impressed in the preseason before, he will continue to face a challenge as he looks to contend with a dynamic wide receiver group featuring star receiver Tyler Lockett, young sensation David Moore, and proven veterans Doug Baldwin and Jaron Brown.
Keenan Reynolds
For Reynolds, also originally an un-drafted wide receiver, 2019 will mark his second season in Seattle but third in the NFL. He spent most of 2018 on the Seahawks practice squad but did have a multi-game stint early in the year to fill in for the injured Doug Baldwin. Reynolds is Scott’s biggest competition as the two appear front-runners for the fifth receiver spot on the depth chart and is slightly favored given his proven ability to fill in for an injured teammate.
Tyrone Swoopes
Swoopes, a tight end, will enter his third season in the NFL in 2019. When not a free agent, Swoopes has been a Seattle Seahawk. Once a quarterback in college, Swoopes converted into a tight end after he went un-drafted. His 2017 was spent on the practice squad as the Seahawks helped Swoopes become a tight end, and made a brief appearance on the active roster but never appeared in a game. He was cut in 2018 and let walk, but returned to the practice squad several weeks later and quickly added to the active roster when Nick Vannett suffered an injury. Swoope started his first game and made his first career catch, and spent the rest of the season off and on with the team before wrapping up the year on the practice squad.
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