Seahawks Waive S Joey Blount With Injury Designation

Unable to stay healthy with two injuries in the past two weeks, the Seattle Seahawks made the decision to waive Joey Blount with hopes of him not being claimed by another team and reverting to season-ending injured reserve.

In the first unexpected surprise of the roster cut down process, the Seattle Seahawks waived second-year safety Joey Blount with an injury designation, putting his 2023 season in potential jeopardy.

Blount, who earned a spot on Seattle's 53-man roster as an undrafted rookie last summer and appeared in 11 regular season games as a core special teams player, suffered a shoulder injury in the team's 19-15 loss to Green Bay in the preseason finale on Saturday. The severity of the injury remains unknown, but the decision to waive him suggests the team expects him to miss extended time.

Injuries have been a persistent problem for Blount, who landed on injured reserve with a knee injury last December and missed a total of seven games, including a wild card loss to the 49ers, due to various ailments. Earlier in training camp, he missed time with a back injury after jamming his knee into the grass while trying to make a play on the football in the end zone.

With Blount being waived/injured before the NFL's roster cut down deadline, the former Virginia standout will revert to injured reserve if he isn't claimed by another team and barring an injury settlement, his season will officially be over. In the aftermath of his release and likely injured reserve placement, rookies Jerrick Reed II and Jonathan Sutherland likely will be the beneficiaries.

Reed, a sixth-round pick out of New Mexico, struggled at times early in the preseason with missed tackles. However, he's a fantastic athlete with the versatility to play both safety positions as well as slot cornerback and enjoyed a strong outing against the Packers last weekend to close out exhibition season with two tackles for loss and a pass breakup.

As for Sutherland, an undrafted rookie out of Penn State, the Ontario, Canada native has impressed coach Pete Carroll and his staff since signing in May, showing off his own versatility playing multiple positions and excelling in the box. He missed the preseason finale with a groin strain, but assuming the injury isn't serious, he should have a good chance of being on the roster due to his special teams talent.

Heading towards Week 1, even with Blount's future now cloudy at best and Jamal Adams potentially not quite ready to play in the opener coming off a torn quad tendon, safety should remain an area of strength for the Seahawks. Veterans Quandre Diggs and Julian Love would be the starters against the Rams if Adams can't play, while cornerback Coby Bryant has worked some at the position this summer and both Reed and Sutherland have flashed as rookies.

---

Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Seahawks? Click Here to subscribe to AllSeahawks.com's Newsletter.

Follow All Seahawks.com on Twitter and Facebook

Make sure to subscribe to our daily podcast @lockedonseahawks today! Click here To Listen.

Want even more Seattle Seahawks news? Check out the SI.com team page here.