RENTON — The Seattle Seahawks re-signed defensive tackle Jesse Williams and fullback Will Tukuafu on Wednesday.
Williams, a fifth-round pick in 2013, was waived earlier this offseason, but Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider both said at last week’s NFL meetings that they expected to bring Williams back. Williams missed all of his first two seasons with knee injuries, and as a result, the Seahawks made this move to “protect the club” as Schneider put it when talking to reporters in Arizona. By terminating Williams’ rookie contract and signing him to a new deal, the Seahawks can save on his 2015 salary should he land on injured reserve once again.
A standout at Alabama, Williams was considered a top defensive line prospect before health concerns caused him to slip in the draft. If Williams can stay healthy, he could provide a boost to Seattle’s defensive-line rotation.
Tukuafu, meanwhile, returns to the team that signed him during the 2014 season following a foot injury suffered by starting fullback Derrick Coleman. Tukuafu, an unusually large fullback — he is listed at 6-foot-4, 293 pounds — served almost exclusively as a blocker on offense in nine games, carrying the ball just once and catching only one pass. He also occasional played defensive line, helping fill in for a series or two a game when injuries took their toll late in the season.
April Fools joke falls flat
File this one under the category: “Think before you Tweet.” Seahawks linebacker Bruce Irvin took to Twitter early Wednesday morning to break some somber news.
“Before this hits the media I just wanna apologize to my fans and the Seahawks organization once again,” Irvin wrote, going on to say that he drove “after I had a few drinks,” seemingly implying a DUI arrest.
Irvin waited 25 minutes, then followed up with “How many of y’all thought I was serious?! Haha April Fools!!!”
While some fans replied to say they found Irvin’s joke funny, plenty of others did not. Many national outlets, from CBS Sports to ProFootballTalk.com to Yahoo! Sports ripped Irvin for making light of a serious matter like driving under the influence. Irvin later apologized and wisely announced his intention to stay off Twitter for the day.
Herald Writer John Boyle: jboyle@heraldnet.com
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