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Seahawks release Velus Jones Jr., opening a 53-man roster spot before Cardinals game
Seattle released RB Velus Jones Jr. and re-signed him to the practice squad, freeing a 53-man spot with seven players ruled out against Arizona.
The Seattle Seahawks released running back Velus Jones Jr. on Friday and re-signed him to the practice squad later that day. The move opens a spot on the 53-man roster two days before Sunday's home game against the Arizona Cardinals. The team's website said the transaction points to a new signing before kickoff but did not say who it would be. Field Gulls of SB Nation noted that Jones is a vested veteran, so he did not have to clear waivers before returning to the practice squad.
Jones has nine carries for 28 yards this season. He hurt his hamstring in the Week 7 win over Kansas City and missed Monday's loss to Chicago. RotoWire reported that he was limited in practice Wednesday and Thursday before the club released him Friday. Even at full health, he faced a crowded backfield. Jadarian Price and Zach Charbonnet are back, and Emanuel Wilson and George Holani were already on the roster. That left Jones as the obvious player to move.
The open spot matters more than the running back shuffle. Seattle has ruled out seven players for Sunday: quarterback Sam Darnold (quadriceps, ribs), defensive tackle Leonard Williams (stinger), guard Quenton Nelson (knee), receiver Rashid Shaheed (knee), linebacker Uchenna Nwosu (ankle), Brandon Pili (back) and tackle Charles Cross (ankle). Linebacker Connor O'Toole (foot) is questionable. Field Gulls pointed to two practice-squad additions from Wednesday, quarterback Adrian Martinez and linebacker Jamie Sheriff, as likely candidates for the open spot. With Darnold out, Drew Lock and Jalen Milroe are the only quarterbacks on the active roster, so Seattle may want a third. Game-day elevations are due Saturday afternoon.
What it means for Arizona
The Seahawks are 4-4 and have lost three of their last four. On Monday the Bears beat them 34-17, the most points Seattle has allowed this season. The good news is the opponent. In their first meeting, Seattle won 31-7 in Arizona, its most lopsided result of the year. The Seahawks are 3-2 at home and have outscored opponents 185-159 overall. They have still lost close games at Washington, against San Francisco and at Denver, by a combined eight points.
The venues see the injuries and still rate Seattle clearly ahead. The Seahawks are favored at -365 on Novig across the 12 venues on this site's board. Arizona is +355 on Novig, and DraftKings has the best Cardinals moneyline at +360. Novig sets the spread at Seattle -8.5, paying +102 on the Seahawks and -104 on Arizona. At other venues the line runs from Seattle -8 at theScore Bet to Arizona +9 at Hard Rock Bet, both at -115, so there is half a point of spread disagreement between venues. The total sits at 39.5 on Novig, +104 on the over and -106 on the under. Sportsbook hold ranges from 4.0% to 5.3% on the moneyline, 2.9% to 5.0% on the spread and 3.6% to 5.0% on the total.
That low total suggests the market expects a quarterback change and a patched-up offensive line to slow down Seattle's offense. The player Seattle adds with Jones's old roster spot will show where the team thinks it is most exposed.