Seahawks Place Veteran Tackle on Injured Reserve, Claim Josh Ross Off Waivers

With Abraham Lucas and George Fant on the mend, the Seahawks will be without Stone Forsythe for four weeks and added extra linebacker depth in his place.

Aug 21, 2023; Landover, Maryland, USA; Washington Commanders running back Antonio Gibson (24) catches a touchdown pass as Baltimore Ravens cornerback Jeremy Lucien (31) and Ravens linebacker Josh Ross (51) defend during the second quarter at FedExField. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images / Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

With Abraham Lucas and George Fant set to return to practice on Wednesday and the latter potentially available to play as early as this week, the Seattle Seahawks placed fourth-year tackle Stone Forsythe on injured reserve with a hand injury.

In a corresponding move, Seattle was awarded linebacker Josh Ross off waivers after Baltimore cut him on Tuesday, further fortifying depth in the middle of the defense after trading Jerome Baker and a 2025 fourth-round pick to the Titans for linebacker Ernest Jones earlier in the day.

Plugged into the lineup in Week 1 with Lucas on the PUP list and Fant injuring his knee, Forsythe started each of Seattle's next five games at right tackle and gave a valiant effort, though he struggled mightily in pass protection while filling in. Per Pro Football Focus, he currently leads all NFL tackles with 35 quarterback pressures allowed, nearly double the next player on the list at his position.

Injuring his hand in a Week 6 loss to the 49ers, Forsythe did not play last week and the Seahawks replaced him with rookie Mike Jerrell, who turned in a fine performance in his first NFL regular season start in a win over the Falcons. With Forsythe now out for four games minimum, if Fant isn't ready to face the Bills on Sunday, Jerrell should be in line for another start with veteran Jason Peters available to promote from the practice squad as insurance if needed.

Down the road, Seattle will hope to have Lucas finally back in the lineup in the next few weeks, with coach Mike Macdonald suggesting he may need his entire 21-day practice window to get back into game shape before he can be activated to the 53-man roster.

Previously playing for Macdonald at Michigan, where he earned Third-Team All-Big Ten honors in his lone season working with him in Ann Arbor in 2021, Ross will be reunited with his former college defensive coordinator in Seattle. Going undrafted in 2022 after six seasons with the Wolverines, he has played in 12 games for the Ravens over the past three seasons, contributing seven tackles while exclusively playing 243 snaps on special teams.

Due to his previous ties with Macdonald, the 6-foot, 229-pound Ross should immediately be thrown into the mix for special teams reps, though Drake Thomas and rookie Tyrice Knight will be ahead of him on the depth chart as the main backups for Jones and Tyrel Dodson at linebacker.

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