Seahawks Waive Veterans, Create Multiple Spots on 53-Man Roster For Further Moves
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Seattle Seahawks rookie Rylie Mills watches as teammates warm up prior to a rookie minicamp practice in May. Credit: Corbin Smith/Emerald City Spectrum [/caption]
RENTON, Wash. - Continuing to get healthier at the right time with four games remaining in the 2025 regular season, the Seattle Seahawks should have at least two more players returning from injury in time for Sunday’s home tilt with the Indianapolis Colts.
Setting in motion further moves before this weekend, Seattle announced cornerback Shaquill Griffin and running back Cam Akers had been waived, instantly opening up two spots on the 53-man roster. Griffin has appeared in two games this season, spending much of the year on the practice squad in his second stint with the franchise, while Akers did not suit up for wins over Minnesota and Atlanta as a healthy scratch after being signed on November 26.
With Griffin and Akers hitting the waiver wire, the Seahawks will now have to decide who they want to activate before Sunday, as four players currently are in the midst of their 21-day practice windows coming off injured reserve or the PUP list.
Center Jalen Sundell (knee) and tight end Eric Saubert (calf) returned to the practice field this week after missing the minimum four games, while receiver Dareke Young has been a full participant in his second week back in action from a strained quad. In addition, defensive tackle Rylie Mills, a fifth-round pick out of Notre Dame who has been out his entire rookie season thus far, returned to practice for the first time since suffering a torn ACL in the College Football Playoff in January on November 26.
Speaking with reporters prior to Wednesday’s practice, Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald expressed optimism Sundell and Saubert, who were listed as limited on the first injury report of the week, would be able to suit up on Sunday. But whether or not both players are activated will depend on how they make it through the week.
“We hope so. We hope they'll be available,” Macdonald said. “Each of these guys are coming off extended breaks, so we have a plan for each guy. We'll see how it pans out throughout the week, but we're optimistic for this weekend and see how today goes. Then we'll kind of accelerate throughout the rest of the week and into next week.”
Before going down with a knee injury during the second quarter of a blowout win over the Cardinals, Sundell started the Seahawks first name games at center, yielding just six pressures and zero sacks according to Pro Football Focus charting. Macdonald has been non-committal on whether he would jump back into the starting lineup over Olu Oluwatimi, who has started the previous four games in his absence, or whether he may be in the mix to replace Anthony Bradford at right guard, a position he played extensively at North Dakota State and in training camp.
But given Bradford’s stellar play of late, including Macdonald acknowledging him as Seattle’s highest graded offensive lineman in last week’s win at Atlanta, Sundell’s path back into the lineup most likely lies at the pivot position with Oluwatimi returning to the bench.
“We got to see how well practice goes,” Macdonald explained. “But we'll just make sure he's fully healthy before we make a declaration.”
Activating Saubert or Young would primarily be a boost to special teams, as both players have been core contributors for coordinator Jay Harbaugh on multiple units.
Prior to his injury, Young led the entire NFL with a 32.2 yards per punt return average, and he could resume that role alongside Rashid Shaheed along with starring on kick and punt coverage, giving the Seahawks as dynamic of a one-two punch in the return game as any team in the NFL. Excelling in kick and punt coverage, Saubert ranked among team leaders with eight special teams tackles before being placed on injured reserve while also pitching in as a situational blocker in multi-tight end sets on offense.
As far as potentially tricky decisions for the Seahawks to make, choosing to activate or shut down Mills comes with repercussions. Based on Macdonald’s comments in recent weeks, the rookie defender has made tremendous progress and he’s in excellent shape, but he hasn’t played in a game in nearly a calendar year. Since he started practicing on November 26, Macdonald and the rest of the coaching staff don’t have to make a decision on him yet this week, as they can wait up until December 17 to activate him.
Asked about Mills’ progress before Seattle took off for Atlanta after last Friday’s practice, Macdonald indicated he had no concerns about the rookie’s conditioning and that he felt him returning for the final stretch run was “doable” if he performed well in padded work for several weeks on the practice field, suggesting the team would use all three weeks of his window.
“If you look at all the work that he's been doing up until now, it's not like he's been sitting on the couch and now he's grabbing his helmet,” Macdonald remarked. “The guy's been working his tail off and now he's just doing all the pushing and shoving with pads on for real. This week was big for him because we had some padded work, and we'll see how it goes next week.”
Considering the talent and depth they already have on the defensive line and the number of other players potentially needing roster spots, franchise brass will eventually have to decide whether to activate Mills for the last three or four games with hopes he can pitch in immediately as a rotational reserve or let his 2025 season toll on his contract, unofficially turning his rookie season into a redshirt year. If that choice isn’t made this week, then the clock will be approaching midnight early next week with a short turnaround before a Thursday night rematch with the Rams.
Time will tell how the Seahawks approach Mills’ situation and where Sundell will play if activated for this week, but any decisions with the 53-man roster will have to be finalized by Saturday afternoon for any of the aforementioned players to be able to suit up against the Colts.
