The Seattle Seahawks cut Bobby Hart while setting their initial 53-man roster.
Four days later, the veteran tackle is back in the building.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Thursday that Seattle signed Hart to its practice squad. The Seahawks confirmed the transaction, making another adjustment to a practice squad that was initially assembled earlier this week.
The move gives Seattle a known option at a position where the active roster is heavier on quality than pure numbers.
Hart, 32, spent the summer with the Seahawks after signing June 8, and he’s now on the squad once again as the defending champions prepare for their Week 1 Super Bowl rematch with the New England Patriots.
Ultimately, Hart’s reunion is about making sure an experienced answer is available if Seattle suddenly needs one.
Hart Gives Seahawks Experienced Tackle Insurance
Seattle’s first unofficial depth chart lists Charles Cross at left tackle and Abraham Lucas at right tackle, with Josh Jones backing up both positions. That leaves Jones as the lone reserve tackle on the 53-man roster, even though several interior linemen offer positional flexibility.
Hart gives the Seahawks a player who has handled legitimate NFL snaps on the outside. He has appeared in 108 regular-season games and started 75, including eight starts in 10 appearances for the Los Angeles Chargers last season. Earlier in his career, he started every game at right tackle for the Cincinnati Bengals in both 2018 and 2019, via his Seahawks biography.
That experience has value because Seattle knows how quickly tackle depth can be tested. Cross missed the final three regular-season games last year with a hamstring injury, and Jones stepped into the starting lineup during the stretch run.
Jones started victories over the Rams, Panthers and 49ers as Seattle secured the NFC West title and the conference’s No. 1 seed.
Hart also requires little introduction to Seattle’s system. He went through the offseason program, training camp and preseason with the club after the Seahawks signed him June 8.
Seahawks Continue to Prioritize Offensive Line Continuity
Seattle entered camp with unusual stability up front. Cross, Lucas, Grey Zabel, Jalen Sundell and Anthony Bradford all returned after anchoring an offensive line that allowed 27 sacks last season, tied for the fifth-fewest in the NFL.
Seattle also retained Jones, Olu Oluwatimi and Christian Haynes among its primary reserves.
Hart didn’t survive the cut to 53, but Seattle’s decision to keep him around fits the larger roster-building approach general manager John Schneider described after cutdown day.
“As we work to establish our 70, as you guys know, we don’t refer to it as our 53,” Schneider told reporters Sunday.
The practice squad is part of that equation, and Hart gives Seattle a veteran without consuming an active-roster spot entering Week 1.
His return also closes a quick loop.
Seattle Seahawks Bring Back 75-Start Veteran Days After Roster Cut