The Seahawks made a couple roster moves before the start of Tuesday afternoon's practice at Renton's Virginia Mason Athletic Center, placing fullback Will Tukuafu and running back Troymaine Pope on injured reserve, and signing running back Kelvin Taylor and linebacker Ronald Powell to the 53-man active roster in their place.
Taylor, who played collegiately at Florida and was a sixth-round pick of the San Francisco 49ers in the 2016 NFL Draft, is the son of former NFL running back Fred Taylor, and also spent time on Seattle's practice squad earlier this month. He adds depth to a position group that has been hit by injuries this season, with Pope being the most recent ball carrier to suffer a setback, one Seattle head coach Pete Carroll called “a pretty severe ankle sprain” the day after the Seahawks' loss at Green Bay.
"We like what we see with him as a runner, again that's really what we're kind of looking for in that position right now," Seahawks offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell said of Taylor after Tuesday's practice. "Just having to get him up to speed. There's a lot to learn, as with any new player that comes in, and sometimes you can plug him in quickly, sometimes it takes a little more time, so we're still assessing all that right now."
Powell, meanwhile, also played his college ball for the Gators, and spent time on the Chicago Bears' practice squad this season. He was drafted by New Orleans in the fifth round of the 2014 draft and went on to play in 14 games for the Saints during his rookie season, recording two tackles.
Tukuafu, who suffered a concussion in the Seahawks' Week 13 win over the Carolina Panthers, was still in the concussion protocol as of yesterday, according to Carroll. Tukuafu and Pope moving to injured reserve puts an early end to the pair's 2016 seasons.
