Seahawks Elevate Jake Luton, Phillip Dorsett From Practice Squad to Face Steelers

Playing without Russell Wilson for the first time in a decade, Luton will be active and dress for the first time this season as Geno Smith's backup, while Dorsett will suit up for a second straight game to add speed and experience to Seattle's receiving corps.

Providing much-needed depth at both positions heading into Sunday's prime time road tilt with the Steelers, the Seahawks elevated quarterback Jake Luton and receiver Phillip Dorsett from the practice squad to the game day roster.

Luton, who starred at Marysville-Pilchuck High School north of Seattle, joined the Seahawks as a free agent shortly before the start of the regular season. He was inactive for the first three games before being waived to create a roster spot and re-signed to the practice squad. With Russell Wilson landing on injured reserve and set to miss at least three games, he will now serve as the primary backup behind Geno Smith.

Now in his second NFL season, Luton broke into the league as a sixth-round pick for the Jaguars in 2020 and wound up starting three games as a replacement for an injured Gardner Minshew. Going 0-3 in those starts, he completed 54.5 percent of his pass attempts for 624 yards with two touchdowns and six interceptions.

Per NFL rules, teams are allowed to promote players from the practice squad for game day twice before they have to be signed to the 53-man roster, which means Luton will eventually need to be promoted on a permanent basis if he's going to be the backup for the next three weeks. Seattle could also promote Danny Etling, who was re-signed to the practice squad earlier this week, for an upcoming game to back up Smith to avoid a permanent promotion for either player.

As for Dorsett, after missing the entire 2020 season with a foot injury and not playing a down for the Seahawks, he found his way back to the Pacific Northwest off waivers from the Jaguars and finally made his team debut in a Week 5 loss to the Rams. The speedy former first-round pick out of Miami played five offensive snaps and wasn't targeted once.

While both players will revert back to Seattle's practice squad on Monday, Dorsett will no longer be eligible to elevate for a single game and would need to be signed to the 53-man roster to play again.