Seattle Seahawks Sign Veteran QB Sean Mannion Amid Geno Smith Injury

Seattle Seahawks Sign Veteran QB Sean Mannion Amid Geno Smith Injury

The Seattle Seahawks have signed veteran quarterback Sean Mannion to the practice squad ahead of Sunday's road meeting with the San Francisco 49ers, the team announced Friday.

The roster moves comes in light of quarterback Geno Smith being limited in Thursday's practice due to a groin injury. Smith has also been dealing with a lingering arm/elbow injury, but hasn't missed a game this season.

The move to sign Mannion could signal that the Seahawks have at least some concern with Smith's newest injury. Should he be called up, he'd be the backup to Drew Lock if Smith were out. 

Mannion, 31, was a third-round pick by the then-St. Louis Rams in the 2015 draft out of Oregon State. He played four seasons with the franchise before joining the Minnesota Vikings in 2019.

Mannion's appeared in 14 career games, but is 0-3 as a starter. He's gone 67 of 110 passing for 573 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions during his NFL career.

Geno Smith / © Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

Of course, Seattle's moves at quarterback might not matter much against an elite Niners defense that harassed Smith and Co. in the first meeting on Thanksgiving.

Smith understands the challenge that lies ahead,

“It starts up front. With them, there’s first rounders across the board," Smith said Thursday. "They have really stout guys on the interior, they’ve got great edge rushers. Their front seven is one of the best in the league. You talk about their linebacker core; you talk about just the way that they fly and make plays all around the ball. They’re a great team, great defense, and what we can expect is for them to be who they are, but we’re another great offense. I feel like we’ve got an opportunity to really prove ourselves, to showcase what we knew all along about ourselves. This is a great test for us. They’re a great team and we look forward to the opportunity.”

The Seahawks and Niners kickoff from Levi's Stadium at 1:05 p.m. PT.

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