The Seahawks made several roster moves ahead of Sunday's game against the 49ers, including the addition of two defensive backs who will help provide depth at a position group that is dealing with several injuries.
Cornerback D.J. Reed and tight end Colby Parkinson were both activated from the non-football injury list and placed on the 53-man roster, while defensive end/tight end Stephen Sullivan and cornerback Jayson Stanley were elevated from the practice squad.
Reed, who the Seahawks claimed after San Francisco waived him with a non-football injury designation, has been added to the injury report as questionable with a hamstring injury. He previously did not have to be listed as he was not on the 53-man roster. If Reed does suit up, he will make his debut against the team that selected him in the fifth round of the 2018 draft. Seahawks coach Pete Carroll has offered high praise of Reed on multiple occasions when asked about the versatile defensive back.
"He is ready to play," Carroll said Friday. "He's an exciting football player. You have great quickness and really good savvy and understanding for the game. That's why when we got him a while back you know we were really excited about him being able to jump in. We thought he could play quickly if we give him the opportunity. So if he gets that opportunity, he's ready to roll… He's got extraordinary quickness. He really can move in and he's a really bright football player. You know, he's played nickel, corner and safety. He understands them well, and that usually lets you know that the guy's a savvy football player, if he learns easily and all. And he is that. So he anticipates well. He can really fly, and I expect if he gets a chance to play he's going to be very aggressive in his play."
If he does play, Reed could be an option at the nickel defensive back spot if Ugo Amadi, who is doubtful with a hamstring injury, is unable to play. Cornerback Linden Stephens could be another option there.
Parkinson, a fourth-round pick out of Stanford in this year's draft, opened the year on the non-football injury list, the result of a foot injury sustained while working out in the offseason.
Sullivan, a seventh-round pick out of LSU, was a receiver and tight end in college and began his time with Seattle as a tight end, but the Seahawks have been using him at defensive end in practice in recent weeks.
Carroll said on Friday that Sullivan is "getting really close to being able to be out there. He's remarkably picked up a bunch of stuff in his rush technique and style, and he's done some really good stuff, so we'll see. We'll see what happens with that."
Stanley, a former college receiver at Georgia, was claimed by Seattle after Jacksonville waived him in April following the draft. After going undrafted out of Georgia in 2019, Stanley signed with the Falcons, who converted him to cornerback. He spent time last season on the practice squads of the Dolphins and Jaguars.
The Seahawks will be without starting cornerback Shaquill Griffin, who was ruled out on Friday, and in addition to Amadi being doubtful, safeties Jamal Adams and Ryan Neal are both listed as questionable.
No corresponding moves were required because the Seahawks had two open roster spots having waived defensive tackle Anthony Rush earlier in the week, and having traded B.J. Finney to Cincinnati as part of the Carlos Dunlap trade—the Seahawks and Bengals received roster exemptions for Dunlap and Finney, respectively, that keep them from counting towards their teams' 53-man rosters since neither is eligible to play this week due to NFL COVID-19 testing protocols. As practice squad elevations, Sullivan and Stanley do not count towards the 53-man roster limit, and will revert back to the practice squad on Monday.
