With Tarvaris Jackson sidelined by an ankle injury, the Seahawks added to their quarterback depth Tuesday, signing former Kanas State quarterback Jake Waters. Long snapper Nate Boyer was waived to make room on the roster.
Waters was a two-year starter at Kansas State, and as a senior set a school record for passing yards (3,501),total offense (3,985 yards) and total touchdowns (31). Waters initially signed with Jacksonville after the 2015 draft. Now in Seattle he will be reunited with former Wildcats teammate Tyler Lockett.
"Jake was a great quarterback, it was easy to get on the page with him when he came in, he was good at throwing the ball before we got out of the breaks so defenders couldn't get there, he was a great leader, good at being able to maintain control of the offense, when we needed him to run, he ran, when we needed him to make a play he was always there," Lockett said when asked about Waters earlier this month. "I think the biggest thing is he understood the offense, he understood the game so he knew what he could get away with, what he couldn't get away with, he was the guy who watched film. I was his roommate, so we just watched film, talked about certain techniques that cornerbacks play, and certain routes that I like against the coverages that they play and we went out there and executed it. He was always the quarterback, whatever we needed, he was the person to get the job done."
By adding a quarterback, the Seahawks can keep B.J. Daniels at receiver rather than need him to help fill in behind Russell Wilson and R.J. Archer. Daniels, a quarterback until this season, has played well at receiver and been a big contributor on special teams, but with the Seahawks down to two healthy quarterbacks, he had to play a few snaps at his old position in Monday's practice.
Boyer, 34, was one of the feel-good stories of training camp, having been signed as a 34-year-old rookie. The former Army Green Beret taught himself how to long snap while at Texas, winning the job there after walking on as a 29-year-old who had never played organized football. Boyer played in the second half of Seattle's preseason opener, finishing with five clean snaps in as many attempts. Boyer also led the Seahawks out of the tunnel while carrying an American flag onto the field before the game.
"That was cool," Boyer said said. "I was actually pretty emotional, just because I always think about my buddies who I fought with, or the ones who are overseas right now. And usually in college you don't stay out there for the National Anthem, so that got to me too. That whole thing. But just knowing how many of those guys were watching, it's really special. It was neat."
