Seahawks lose pair of defensive stars to injury

Morris will need season-ending shoulder surgery, Pete Carroll said (via ESPN’s Brady Henderson). A fifth-round pick out of Michigan, Morris played 26 defensive snaps in Seattle’s Week 1 game. He was inactive in Week 2. 

Brought in as part of a D-line overhaul, Morris made three tackles against the Rams. Last season at Michigan, the 6-foot-6 pass rusher totaled 7.5 sacks and 11 tackles for loss.

Of the six defensive linemen who began the day on the Seahawks’ active roster, only one — backup Myles Adams — was with the team last season. Seattle brought in Dre’Mont Jones and Mario Edwards and reunited with Jarran Reed this offseason. 

A round before selecting Morris, the Seahawks chose Mississippi State’s Cameron Young. Bryan Mone remains with the Seahawks, but the veteran D-lineman is on the team’s reserve/PUP list.

Seattle won last week despite playing without both its starting tackles, but the team also squeaked past Detroit with top cornerback Riq Woolen leaving the game due to a chest injury. The issue will likely sideline Woolen for Week 3, Carroll added, though the 14th-year coach indicated the second-year starter’s issue is likely not serious enough for an IR move to enter the equation. 

The Seahawks, who also began the season without No. 5 overall pick Devon Witherspoon, promoted veteran cornerback Artie Burns from their practice squad Tuesday.

Additionally, the Seahawks waived linebacker Tyreke Smith on Wednesday. A 2022 fifth-rounder out of Ohio State, Smith has played in one regular-season game. He missed last season due to injury. 

The team also plans to sign tight end Brady Russell off the Eagles’ practice squad, The Athletic’s Michael-Shawn Dugar tweets. Russell is a rookie UDFA out of Colorado. Will Dissly is battling a shoulder injury, leading to the expected P-squad poaching. 

Because the Seahawks plan to sign Russell from the Eagles’ practice squad, he must remain on their active roster for three weeks.