The Seattle Seahawks ruled out Leonard Williams on Friday and added a defensive tackle on Saturday, signing rookie Deven Eastern from their practice squad to the 53-man roster ahead of Sunday’s game against the Arizona Cardinals.
Williams left Monday’s loss to the Chicago Bears with a stinger and missed the entire practice week. Seattle also ruled out nose tackle Brandon Pili with a back injury and outside linebacker Uchenna Nwosu with an ankle injury. Eastern gives the Seahawks another body inside at a time when they’re down both a starting defensive tackle and a reserve nose tackle.
Seattle already had a roster spot available. The Seahawks released running back Velus Jones Jr. on Friday, then brought him back on the practice squad. That let them add Eastern without another cut.
Where Deven Eastern Fits With Leonard Williams Out
The Seahawks already got a look at their defensive line without Williams after he went down late in the third quarter against Chicago. Defensive coordinator Aden Durde pointed to Jarran Reed, Byron Murphy II and Rylie Mills when discussing how Seattle handled those snaps.
The Seahawks’ depth chart lists Mills behind Williams at defensive tackle and Pili behind Murphy at nose tackle. That makes Mills a natural candidate for more work in Williams’ spot, while Eastern, a 320-pound nose tackle, gives Durde another option to spell Murphy inside. The difference this week is that Seattle has to cover those snaps from the opening drive.
The Seahawks drafted Eastern out of Minnesota in the seventh round, No. 242 overall. He started all 39 games over his final three seasons with the Gophers and finished his senior year with 38 tackles, five tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks. On draft day, Eastern said he was comfortable lining up over a center, at several spots inside or as a bigger defensive end.
Seattle waived Eastern at final cuts and signed him back to the practice squad the next day. He’s now in line to make his NFL debut against Arizona.
Seahawks Elevate Bobby Hart and Montorie Foster Jr.
Seattle also elevated tackle Bobby Hart and wide receiver Montorie Foster Jr. for the second straight game. Hart gives the Seahawks a swing tackle while Josh Jones starts on the left side for Charles Cross, who is out with an ankle injury. Foster adds depth at receiver with Rashid Shaheed sidelined by a knee injury.
Unlike Hart and Foster, Eastern takes a spot on the 53-man roster. The two elevations address immediate needs for Sunday, while the signing gives Seattle another interior lineman on the active roster beyond this week.
The Seahawks kept quarterback Adrian Martinez on the practice squad. With Sam Darnold ruled out, Mike Macdonald named Drew Lock the starter and Jalen Milroe the backup. They’ll be Seattle’s two quarterbacks against Arizona, with Lock starting after being limited in practice all week by an elbow injury.
Seattle Seahawks Sign DT After Leonard Williams Injury News