Seahawks Sign Ex-Rival WR, Place Key Starter on IR Ahead of Rams Game

Getty The Seahawks placed Jordyn Brooks on injured reserve.

It has been a busy few days for the Seattle Seahawks with the team announcing several roster moves prior to the regular season finale against the Los Angeles Rams. Heading into Week 18, the Seahawks signed wide receiver Connor Wedington and cornerback Chris Steele. Seattle also officially placed linebacker Jordyn Brooks on injured reserve ending his season as the defender begins recovering from an ACL injury he sustained against the Jets in Week 17.

Most recently, Wedington had short stints with the 49ers but was released by San Francisco in September. The Seahawks have familiarity with Wedington after signing the former Stanford wideout as an undrafted free agent in 2021. Wedington had 106 receptions for 971 yards and one touchdown over his four seasons at Stanford.

The receiver also represents a potential special teams option with experience as a kick returner. Wedington notched 21 returns for 590 yards averaging 28.1 yards per return for Stanford in 2019.

Brooks Is Out for the Season With an ACL Injury

Brooks has been one of the Seahawks’ most crucial defenders, especially given the team’s decision to release Bobby Wagner over the offseason. Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll labeled Brooks’ injury as “legit” indicating the linebacker has a long road of recovery ahead.

“He has an ACL injury and it’s legit,” Carroll told Seattle Sports’ “Brock and Salk” during his weekly radio show on January 2. “He had an unfortunate kind of landing on the sidelines over there. Just kind of as he was spinning, he just got his knee torqued. Didn’t get hit on it, (but) as he was kind of rotating around the tackle he landed awkwardly and unfortunately got hurt. That’s a shame. What a great, great player and a great teammate.”

Seahawks Linked to New Quarterback

The signings of Wedington and Steele come after Seattle hosted five players for a January 3 tryout. The Seahawks hosted the two players along with cornerback Gavin Robertson, quarterback Carson Strong and tight end Marcus Santos-Silva. Strong is a particularly intriguing name given his pre-draft pedigree.

The signal-caller went undrafted largely due to health concerns over previous knee injuries. Strong threw for 4,175 yards, 36 touchdowns and eight interceptions while completing 70.1% of his passes during 12 appearances for the Wolfpack in 2021. Heading into the 2022 draft, NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein compared Strong to legendary quarterback Drew Bledsoe.

“‘Touch-or-torch’ pocket passer with rare blend of power and finesse to turn low percentage throws into completions,” Zierlein wrote in his pre-draft profile on Strong. “His surgically repaired right knee might hinder the sturdiness of his throwing base, but Strong still throws with velocity, accuracy and touch either on or off-platform. He has the talent to attack any coverage and all areas of the field.

“Nonchalant eye discipline and a gunslinger mentality means he’s likely to see additional air traffic and turnovers as he transitions from Nevada’s Air Raid offense. Scouts rave about his leadership and ‘killer instinct.’ He clearly has first-round talent, but long-term durability concerns surrounding his knee could force teams to take a more cautious approach with his projection and draft slotting.”