Seahawks Sign Versatile Ex-Cardinals Vet & Place $45 Million Starter on IR

The Seattle Seahawks made several roster moves ahead of the team’s Week 6 matchup against the San Francisco 49ers. Seattle placed starting pass rusher Uchenna Nwosu on Injured Reserve, which is a significant blow for a defense that is already shorthanded.

The Seahawks also signed former Arizona Cardinals safety Zeke Turner to the team’s practice squad. Turner is mostly known for his special teams play, appearing in 81 games over the last seven seasons. The veteran played for the Houston Texans this season before the team released Turner on October 1, 2024.

One week later, Turner was signed to the Seahawks practice squad. Seattle released rookie linebacker Devin Richardson to make room for Turner.

It is a bit of a homecoming for Turner who played collegiately for the Washington Huskies. Turner has experience playing both linebacker and safety.

Uchenna Nwosu’s Injuries Put the Seahawks in a Challenging Position Given His 3-Year, $45 Million Contract

The big news is Nwosu heading to IR, which means the pass rusher will miss at least four games. Nwosu signed a three-year, $45 million deal with the Seahawks that runs through 2026.

Unfortunately, Nwosu only played six games during the 2023 season as injuries continue to have a significant impact on his availability. Seattle also made a series of additional roster moves hours before kickoff against the Niners.

The Seahawks signed cornerback Artie Burns from the practice squad to the active roster. Seattle also released guard McClendon Curtis and activated defensive tackle Cameron Young from the PUP list.

The following players were inactive against the Niners on Thursday Night Football: cornerback Riq Woolen, defensive tackle Byron Murphy II, linebacker Trevis Gipson, center Olu Oluwatimi, guard Sataoa Laumea, receiver Dareke Young and defensive end Myles Adams.

It was not all bad news as veterans like pass rusher Leonard Williams and safety Julian Love were active against the 49ers.

Seahawks Head Coach Mike Macdonald Wants to Lean on the Team’s Rushing Attack

Regardless of injuries and roster moves, one thing Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald has made clear is his desire to get star running back Ken Walker more touches. It is a sentiment echoed by offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb as well.

“You got to have more at-bats in the run game,” Macdonald told Seattle Sports’ “Brock and Salk” during his weekly radio show on October 7. “We got to give the ball to K-9 (Walker) more, period – Zach [Charbonnet] as well. There’s no going around it.

“There’s definitely, going back at it, some more opportunities as drives start to get going where we can kind of get back to normal operation and make sure we’re giving Ken the ball. So again, those (decisions) are going to vary from game to game, but we can’t be just handing the ball off to him five times. That’s a disservice to him.”

Seattle entered the team’s rivalry matchup against San Francisco as a 3.5-point underdog. It will be worth watching how all the roster moves impact the outcome. Macdonald made it clear there are no excuses for the Seahawks, despite numerous injuries and the short turnaround from Sunday to Thursday.