The Seattle Seahawks placed struggling free safety Tedric Thompson on the injured reserve with a shoulder injury on Wednesday, effectively ending his 2019 season.
The team also designated tight end Ed Dickson to return from the injured reserve, which could allow him to play this Sunday against Tampa Bay.
However, Dickson does not take up a spot on the 53-man roster until Seattle officially activates him for the game, meaning they had an extra spot following Thompson’s placement on the IR.
Instead of recalling someone off the practice squad, the Seahawks signed veteran free agent defensive end Dekoda Watson, who spent the preseason with the Broncos before getting cut in September.
Watson is a nine-year NFL veteran. He has spent the majority of his career as a core special teamer, but coach Pete Carroll hopes to see him contribute in a bigger capacity with Seattle.
“We’re gonna give him a chance to give us some rush on the edge,” Carroll commented on Wednesday. “He’s been a really accomplished [special] teams guy too. We’re hoping he can give us some additional boost there. We’ll see. I need to see him on the field, starting today.”
Watson’s spot on the roster is by no means secure, as he seems like a potential cut candidate if/when Dickson is activated.
However, Seattle is desperate for more pass rush, and if Watson proves he is reliable at getting to the quarterback, he could take over for Branden Jackson or Rasheem Green off the edge.
Watson only has six career sacks, although he did get two of them last year and he sacked Geno Smith during the preseason, so perhaps Carroll sees some potential there.
