Seahawks Make Roster Moves After Key Injuries

Getty Anthony Rush has already made his presence felt with the Seahawks.

The Seattle Seahawks are putting together a plan on how to respond to losing two defensive starters for the season. Seattle had three open roster spots with the recent injuries to Bruce Irvin, Marquise Blair and Phillip Dorsett. The Seahawks announced the first step by promoting cornerback Linden Stephens and defensive tackle Anthony Rush from the practice squad.

Center Kyle Fuller is also back on the active roster after serving a two-game suspension. For now, the Seahawks roster is full heading towards their big Week 3 matchup against the Cowboys.

Stephens was part of the Seahawks practice squad last season before the Dolphins added him to their active roster. Stephens appeared in three games for the Dolphins in 2019.

Rush Played in 9 Games for the Eagles in 2019

Rush is already making his presence felt in Seattle playing in 15 snaps and snagging two tackles against the Patriots, per Seahawks.com. The Seahawks initially added Rush to their practice squad after he was released by the Eagles just before the start of the season. Rush played in nine games for the Eagles in 2019.

The undrafted defensive tackle had a number of teams show interest in him prior to last season. Rush met with the Lions, but the Raiders emerged at the last minute and signed the defensive tackle for a short stint prior to landing back with the Eagles.

“We had an intercepting airline go in there to steal him away,” Raiders head coach Jon Gruden joked to The Athletic in 2019. “It was a great job by our scouts, really, getting him here.”

Rush played at the University of Alabama-Birmingham, and Gruden praised the defensive tackle during his short time with the Raiders.

“Anthony Rush is a 340-pound guy that really took advantage of his snaps,” Gruden explained to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “Caused some tackles for loss, made a couple of plays and pushed the pocket pretty good. We like him.”

Rush on His Path to the NFL: ‘I Didn’t Have the Easy Route’

Back in 2019, Rush reflected on his improbable path from UAB to the NFL with several stops along the way. Rush admitted that he “didn’t have the easy route” to becoming an NFL player.

“Most definitely, I didn’t go to a Power Five school,” Rush noted to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “I didn’t have the easy route. I had to go the (junior college) route, so I just had to take my own route. Now I’m on the same stage as everybody else, so I just have to show what I can do.”

As for what Seahawks fans can expect from Rush, the defensive tackle’s strength is stopping the run. For all the holes on defense, the Seahawks have been one of the best teams at defending the run through two games.

“I can stop the run, but I can always work on my pass rush,” Rush told The Athletic in 2019. “I am a 345-pound guy. I better be able to stop the run.”

Here’s a look at Rush scoring at UAB on a pick-six in 2017.