On the day that the Seattle Seahawks left 19 players looking for work, the team left itself looking for something as well.
Experienced safeties.
Cutdown day forced the Seahawks to go with just three healthy safeties, including only one – Ken Hamlin – who has played the position in an NFL game.
Veteran Damien Robinson, by far the most experienced of Seattle’s safeties, was placed on injured reserve due to a shoulder injury and will miss the entire season.
That leaves Hamlin (23 years old), Terreal Bierria (23) and Michael Boulware (22) as the only remaining safeties on the roster.
Hamlin will start at free safety, with Bierria as the starting strong safety. Bierria missed most of last season with an injury after spending his rookie year on special teams.
“You have to realize that this is Bierria’s third year coming up in the league, so he’s an experienced guy,” defensive coordinator Ray Rhodes recently said. “I think he really answered the question at the strong safety position (during training camp and the preseason).
“I thought that Hamlin did an outstanding job as far as coming in and honing in on the things that he needed to improve on.”
Robinson, who was slated to back up Hamlin at free safety this year, was the most notable player involved in Seattle’s roster moves. But he wasn’t the only veteran.
Fullback Chris Davis, who missed the entire 2003 with a left knee injury, was also placed on injured reserve following a second MRI on his right knee. He, too, will miss the season.
Among the veterans cut were offensive lineman Matt Hill, who started at right tackle against St. Louis last season, safety Walter Bernard and receiver Taco Wallace, who spent most of last season on the practice squad before getting added to the active roster in December.
Wide receiver was the most hotly-contested position, with Jerheme Urban and rookie D.J. Hackett making the roster ahead of Wallace, Jason Willis and Antoine Burns. All five players turned in impressive performances during the final preseason game, but Urban and Hackett won out in part because of their size (6-foot-3 and 6-2, respectively).
Other cuts included safety/cornerback Jordan Babineaux, defensive tackle LaWaylon Brown, linebacker Bam Hardmon, center Joey Hollenbeck, punter Donnie Jones, fullback R.J. Luke, defensive end Omar Nazel, running back Tellis Redmon, guard Jeff Roehl, defensive tackle John Schlecht, tight end Josh Whitman and cornerbacks Tony Lukins, Brad Franklin and Michael Harden.
Rookie linebacker Isaac Brown, a Washington State University product, was cut Friday.
In an unrelated move, reserve tackle Wayne Hunter was suspended for the first game of the season, meaning the team currently has only 52 players on its roster – one below the limit. Hunter’s suspension came due to a past violation of the NFL’s personal conduct policy. Hunter was arrested for fourth-degree assault on his girlfriend in July 2003.
The last roster spot will probably go to Walter Jones, who is expected to join the team sometime this week – perhaps even as early as today. When Hunter’s suspension expires next week, the team could have to make another move.
Among the players who survived the cut were backup center Dennis Norman, defensive end Anton Palepoi and rookie defensive tackle Craig Terrill. The Seahawks kept 10 defensive linemen, including Christian Mohr, who won’t count against the roster because he’s part of the international development program.
Veteran punter Tom Rouen held off a late charge from Donnie Jones to keep his roster spot.
The Seahawks can add eight players to their practice squad today, and the top candidates include Nazel, Babineaux, Wallace and Willis.
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