Seahawks Activate Stone Forsythe From Injured Reserve

Approaching the end of his 21-day practice window, the Seahawks opted to bring Stone Forsythe back with three games left to play as tackle depth.

Dec 24, 2022; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Seattle Seahawks offensive tackle Stone Forsythe (78) looks to block Kansas City Chiefs defensive end Frank Clark (55) during the second half at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images / Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

Bolstering offensive line depth for the final three weeks of the season, the Seattle Seahawks activated veteran tackle Stone Forsythe to the 53-man roster prior to Wednesday's practice.

Seattle had a spot open on the active roster after waiving cornerback Artie Burns earlier in the week, paving the way for Forsythe's return after missing the past eight games. Burns is expected to return on the practice squad after clearing waivers, but a move has yet to be announced.

When George Fant went down with a knee injury in the Seahawks season opener, with Abraham Lucas already on the PUP list rehabbing from offseason knee surgery, Forsythe stepped into the starting lineup, logging 414 offensive snaps in six games. The former sixth-round pick out of Florida struggled in pass protection, yielding 35 pressures and two sacks with a dismal 93.1 pass protection efficiency rate, ranking 81st out of 85 qualified tackles per Pro Football Focus.

Seattle designated Forsythe to return to practice on November 27 and he had reached the end of his 21-day practice window, meaning the team either had to activate him or he would revert back to season-ending injured reserve.

With Fant still out and increasingly unlikely to return this season, Forsythe will re-join a tackle group including Lucas, Charles Cross, and rookie Mike Jerrell, offering the positional flexibility to play on the left and right side if needed. Undrafted rookie Jalen Sundell has been an emergency option for most of the season after playing tackle at North Dakota State, but with starting center Olu Oluwatimi battling a knee injury, he's in line to make his first career start on Sunday against the Vikings.

On the injury front, after activating Burns and Forsythe in the past five days, safety K'Von Wallace will be the next player the Seahawks have to soon make a decision on. Coming back from an ankle injury, he returned to practice last week, so the team still has two weeks left to make a decision on whether or not to activate him to the 53-man roster.

Once they decide to activate Wallace, they will have to make another corresponding move, which could potentially be placing tight end Brady Russell on injured reserve. Russell has missed three of the past five games with a lingering foot issue and coach Mike Macdonald hinted last Friday that Seattle could consider a long-term deactivation with the injury not improving, but it remains to be seen whether or not that move will need to be made.

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