RENTON, Wash. _ Turns out, the Seahawks never officially waived receiver Gary Jennings on Wednesday.
The team planned to, even going as far as telling Jennings he would be waived on Wednesday, and sending him home _ he did not participate in practice on Wednesday.
But, Seattle didn't have to submit a name officially to the NFL until Thursday at 1 p.m. _ NFL workdays work on a 24-hour schedule from 1 p.m. Seattle time one day to 1 p.m. the next.
And by Thursday the Seahawks had changed their mind, waiving defensive tackle Bryan Mone, instead, to clear out a space for safety Adrian Colbert, who was promoted from the practice squad.
Jennings referenced that he had been waived, as the 6-foot-1, 216-pound receiver from West Virginia tweeted "God has never failed me yet" shortly after he was apparently told the news.
But after spending a day in something of purgatory, Jennings was back on Thursday, in pads and, according to offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer, having a good day of work.
"Had a good practice today," Schottenheimer said. "Gary's doing good. He's a good, talented football player. Good size, good speed, made some nice plays out there today."
So, for now, all 11 players drafted by the Seahawks in April remain part of the roster.
Jennings being waived for a brief period Wednesday, though, is somewhat emblematic of a rookie draft class that has still finding its footing in the NFL.
On Sunday, just one of the 11 players taken in the draft figures to be in the starting lineup _ receiver DK Metcalf.
Metcalf has been everything advertised and more with nine receptions for 217 yards and one touchdown while playing 180 snaps in three games.
But the other 10 rookies have combined for 44 offense/defensive snaps, via snap counts from ProFootballReference.com, with none of the rest appearing, at the moment, likely to crack into the starting lineup anytime soon unless there are injuries to players ahead of them (Mone had also played 71 snaps).
Drafts, though, are best judged a few years down the line _ most rookies take a little while to figure things out, and the Seahawks' roster, while the fourth-youngest team in the NFL in terms of average age, also includes 18 starters who were with the team a year ago.
The expectation is that as some of the veterans inevitably move on in a year or two that a handful of this year's rookies will be ready to step into starting roles. And several _ such as linebacker Cody Barton, safety Marquise Blair and defensive back Ugo Amadi _ have shown early promising signs.
For this year, though, most appear to be settling into depth, developmental and special teams roles as the season hits the quarter pole on Sunday.
Here's a look at each of Seattle's draft picks and what they've done so far:
_Defensive end L.J. Collier: The first-round pick out of TCU has played 16 snaps in one game without recording a stat and was a healthy inactive last week. That he missed most of training camp with a high ankle sprain undoubtedly stunted his progress.
_Safety Marquise Blair: An early preseason standout, the second-rounder battled a few injuries and for the moment, is behind a trio of veterans (Bradley McDougald, Lano Hill, Tedric Thompson) for playing time. The promotion of Colbert also further crowds the field for snaps at safety. Blair has played four snaps on defense but has 40 on special teams.
_Receiver DK Metcalf: As noted above, Metcalf is the one big contributor of this group for now.
Linebacker Cody Barton: Barton, a third-rounder, might be playing if not behind a linebacking trio that may be the best in the NFL. He played one snap last week and has 61 on special teams.
_Receiver Gary Jennings: Has yet to appear in a game but is back on the roster.
