Seattle Seahawks Place Uchenna Nwosu on IR, Sign Artie Burns Amid Flurry of Moves

Preparing to play with a decimated defense on Thursday, again, the Seattle Seahawks made a handful of roster moves that included moving Uchenna Nwosu to IR.

Sep 24, 2023; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks cornerback Artie Burns (23) defends a pass intended for Carolina Panthers wide receiver Adam Thielen (19) during the second quarter at Lumen Field. / Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

Making a flurry of moves to account for injuries across the roster before a Thursday night showdown with the San Francisco 49ers, the Seattle Seahawks signed veteran cornerback Artie Burns to the 53-man roster and activated nose tackle Cameron Young from the physically unable to perform list, the team announced.

Edge rusher Uchenna Nwosu, who suffered a thigh injury in Sunday's loss to the New York Giants, was placed on injured reserve and will miss at least the next four games. Offensive guard and tackle McClendon Curtis was also waived to make room on the active roster.

With safety Julian Love (hamstring) and outside linebackers Boye Mafe (knee) and Derick Hall (foot) questionable to play Thursday, the Seahawks also elevated outside linebacker Jamie Sheriff and safety Ty Okada from the practice squad.

"Julian, we'll take it probably all the way up to the game," Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald said Wednesday. "Those other two guys, we're confident they'll be out there."

Regardless, Okada and Sheriff provide some depth for Seattle if Mafe and Hall are ruled out or cannot finish the game. With Nwosu also out, those three make up most of the Seahawks' exterior pass rush.

Sheriff, in particular, was a standout for Seattle in the preseason as an undrafted rookie, recording 12 pressures and three sacks. After being waived during final roster cutdowns, Sheriff was signed by the Carolina Panthers and appeared in one game before being waived again. Sheriff re-signed with Seattle on Sept. 12.

Burns, a ninth-year pro, is filling the spot of injured starting cornerback Riq Woolen, who sustained an ankle injury versus the Giants on Sunday. Woolen, defensive tackle Byron Murphy II and Nwosu were all ruled out on Wednesday. Burns is in his third season with the Seahawks and was regularly playing with the starters in the nickel role in the preseason before being injured. He was released during roster cuts but re-signed to the practice squad.

Nwosu made his season debut Sunday after he missed the first four games of the season with an MCL sprain. He played just 20 snaps before sustaining a thigh injury, which ended up being worse than initially expected. Macdonald said Wednesday they planned to place him on IR but expect him back before the season's end.

"We're with him right now, he needs our support," Macdonald said. "The guy has gone through a tough time, and he's going to battle his tail off. He's going to be back better than ever, but it's just unfortunate for him. He's a guy that we lean on as a team, he's a leader on our defense and our football team. But it's an opportunity to come back and be healthy and fresh for the end-of-season run."

Nwosu has played in seven of 22 possible regular season games since signing a three-year, $45 million contract extension ahead of the 2023 season. He suffered a torn pectoral muscle in Week 7 of last season and required season-ending surgery to repair it.

Seattle and San Francisco kick off at 5:15 p.m. on Thursday at Lumen Field. The NFC West lead is on the line, with both teams banged-up heading into the game.