Seahawks DE Rasheem Green, G Phil Haynes Designated to Return From Injured Reserve
The Seahawks could have reinforcements coming in the trenches on both sides of the football in the very near future.
As confirmed in the NFL transactions wire, Seattle designated guard Phil Haynes and defensive end Rasheem Green for return from injured reserve. The two players began practicing on Wednesday and the team now has 21 days to activate them to the 53-man roster or they will revert back to injured reserve for the rest of the season.
Out since the start of the regular season with a hip injury, Haynes' impending return couldn't come at a better time. As part of the deal to acquire defensive end Carlos Dunlap on Wednesday, the Seahawks dealt versatile reserve B.J. Finney, eliminating some depth at both the guard and center positions.
Now in his second season, Haynes has yet to play any regular season snaps since being drafted in the fourth round out of Wake Forest. He spent the majority of his rookie season on the PUP list recovering from sports hernia surgery and didn't see the field until the playoffs when he was thrust into action at left guard against the Packers in the Divisional Round.
Upon his return, Haynes will add extra insurance at both guard spots and may have a chance at playing a few snaps a game at left guard to spell starter Mike Iupati, who has missed the past two games with back spasms. Jordan Simmons started in his place while also seeing extensive action at right guard earlier in the season.
As for Green, coach Pete Carroll indicated on Monday he would return to practice this week as well, with the goal for him to be ready to play the following week. The third-year defensive end has been out since Week 2 with a neck injury and has made tremendous progress in recent weeks.
His return along with the arrival of Dunlap should provide some much-needed juice for Seattle's pass rush at both end spots. Last season, Green led the team with 4.0 sacks and also forced three fumbles, taking major strides after a subpar rookie season.
Green will likely return to action in a reserve role at the 5-tech base defensive end spot, as L.J. Collier beat him out for the starting job coming out of training camp and has made some big plays for the Seahawks this season. But as Carroll noted a few weeks ago, the team would like to play Collier a bit less to keep him fresh and Green's presence will certainly allow them to do that.
Neither Haynes nor Green should be expected to suit up against the 49ers on Sunday. But if both players have a strong week of practice, they could be back in the mix for Week 9 when the Seahawks travel to face the Bills.
