J.R. Sweezy is back with the team that drafted him six years ago, having re-signed with the Seahawks Wednesday. Guard Avery Young was waived/injured to make room on Seattle's 90-man roster.
A seventh-round pick out of N.C. State in 2012, Sweezy spent his first four seasons in Seattle before signing with Tampa Bay as a free agent in 2016.
Sweezy was a defensive lineman at N.C. State, but the Seahawks drafted him envisioning an athletic, physical guard. And after one year serving primarily as a backup, Sweezy developed into a starter, starting 15 games for the Super Bowl-winning 2013 team, 16 games in 2014 and 15 games in 2015.
While Sweezy was healthy for most of his four seasons in Seattle, injuries limited his playing time in Tampa Bay. A back injury caused him to miss the entire 2016 season, then after returning to start 14 games in 2017, a leg injury caused him to finish the year on injured reserve. He was released by Tampa Bay in late June.
Sweezy adds experienced depth at guard, but it remains to be seen how he'll fit into the competition on the line. The Seahawks added D.J. Fluker, who like Sweezy has been a right guard throughout his career, in free agency, and they also have, among others competing for spots, 2017 second-round pick Ethan Pocic, who started 11 games last season, splitting time between the two guard spots.
Young, an Auburn product who originally entered the NFL as a rookie free agent with the New Orleans Saints in 2016, joined the Seahawks this past May after taking part in the team's rookie minicamp on a tryout basis.
