RENTON — The Seattle Seahawks had more hands on deck Wednesday, making their corps of receivers look more complete than it has in a long time.
Veteran additions Koren Robinson and Keary Colbert practiced with the team for the first time, and the Seahawks hope they’ll be ready to play in Sunday’s game against the St. Louis Rams.
“I think both those guys can help us,” quarterback Matt Hasselbeck said after the afternoon session. “It is not a situation where they will come in and save the day, necessarily. I think it’s obviously a position where we don’t have a lot of depth right now, and not a lot of experience.”
For Robinson, Wednesday’s practice was a short session. He worked with the team for about half the practice before watching the final half hour or so from the sideline. Robinson said afterward that he was not hurt but that he had planned to cut his afternoon short.
“Just being cautious,” said Robinson, a former Seahawk who was signed on Tuesday. “I didn’t want to come in and do 100 reps right away. I still need to get in football shape. You can work out, but you can’t imitate football.”
Robinson added that he used the day to “just gauge where I’m at, to see what’s expected of me and what to expect of myself.”
Colbert, who was acquired from Denver for what is being reported as a conditional fifth-round pick, was also feeling his way through the first session. Unlike Robinson, he has never played in coach Mike Holmgren’s system, although his summer with the Broncos helped get him used to the West Coast offense.
“Some stuff has carried over, and some stuff is new,” he said. “So that’s why I’ve got to make sure I’m in the playbook. … It s going to be a challenge this week to really get in that book and make sure I get it down.”
Colbert, 26, said it was a “shock” when the Broncos traded him. The former USC star and Carolina Panther had signed a three-year deal worth $7.2 million, including a reported signing bonus of $2.5 million, with Denver in March.
Six months later, he was sent packing.
“We had a lot of depth at wide receiver, a lot of talent,” Colbert said Wednesday, pointing out that the unexpected emergence of rookie Eddie Royal had reduced his role. “… With me there, it was a logjam. We had a lot of guys, and I happened to be near the bottom.”
With the situation the Seahawks have, with six receivers already down due to injury, Colbert doesn’t have to worry about a lack of playing time.
“They’re going to play more than you would probably play if you just signed a player to come in and help you,” Holmgren said. “They have to play.”
Coutu still around: When it comes to roster moves, rookie kicker Brandon Coutu has been a cockroach lately.
The injury-plagued Seahawks keep adding players, and yet Coutu has kept his job.
“I definitely appreciate them keeping me around and showing me respect,” said Coutu, one of two kickers currently on the roster. “There’s not a place I’d rather be. I like it here, and hopefully it’s going to work out in the long run.”
The odd man out Wednesday was defensive end Jason Babin, who was released to make room for Colbert. Unlike Coutu and defensive end Baraka Atkins, Babin had suited up for both of Seattle’s first two games. But he was one of five defensive ends, so the team let him go instead of taking the risk of putting Coutu out there for other teams to sign.
“That was part of the decision,” Holmgren said when asked about Coutu’s continued inclusion on the roster.
Coutu said he sweat out some of the team’s earlier roster moves, but now he feels pretty safe despite his lack of activity.
“Now I’m starting to move on from worrying about that,” he said. “I don’t play a numbers game. Hopefully it works out, but if not, I respect them keeping me as long as they can.”
Pro Bowler sits: Left tackle Walter Jones was one of five Seahawks to sit out Wednesday’s practice with an injury. Holmgren said that the eight-time Pro Bowler is likely to play in Sunday’s game against St. Louis after hurting his hip.
Cornerback Kelly Jennings is also expected to play despite a broken rib that he suffered in Sunday’s loss against San Francisco.
Running back Maurice Morris, wide receiver Bobby Engram and backup quarterback Seneca Wallace are sidelined by injuries and are unlikely to play Sunday.
Two Seahawks starters, right tackle Sean Locklear and wide receiver Deion Branch, participated in practice but might not play in the game. Locklear saw his first action since suffering a preseason knee injury, but Holmgren said he was leaning toward sticking with Ray Willis at right tackle for another week.
Branch has been practicing for almost three weeks as he tries to come back from February knee surgery. Holmgren has said that there is a remote chance Branch will play Sunday, but it seems more likely that the team will use next week’s bye to give the veteran more time to heal.
Who’s No. 3? With Wallace sidelined for three to four weeks, the Seahawks have only two quarterbacks on the roster.
In case disaster strikes, starting safety Brian Russell took a few snaps from center Chris Spencer after Wednesday’s practice.
“I’m fooling myself if I think I’m in prime quarterback-playing mode, but I’ve taken enough snaps that I can do it if they need me to hand off or throw some simple pass routes,” said Russell, who played quarterback at Penn and San Diego State before switching to defense in 1999. “Obviously, I wouldn’t be ready to dive into the playbook. But if the team needed me, I’d be ready to go.”
Russell hasn’t thrown a pass, even in practice situations, in a long time.
“I’ve thrown with the fellas on the sideline, but I don’t worry about throwing mechanics,” he said. “If you haven’t played in 10 years, you’re not going to be piping them down the middle.”
Hasselbeck and Charlie Frye are the only healthy quarterbacks on the team.
Quick slants: The Seahawks added wide receiver Trent Shelton to the practice squad. The team had a spot open after signing Michael Bumpus to the active roster last week. … Rams coach Scott Linehan, who will face the Seahawks on Sunday, celebrated his 45th birthday on Wednesday. The native of Sunnyside has probably had better birthdays, as rumors were swirling about his possible departure if the Rams don’t win Sunday.
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