Seahawks Officially Activate TE Gerald Everett From Reserve/COVID-19 List
As expected, the Seahawks officially activated starting tight end Gerald Everett off the reserve/COVID-19 list and he will be available to play against the Steelers in Week 6.
Everett landed on the list after having a positive test on October 29 and wasn't able to suit up against the 49ers or Rams over the past week without consecutive days of negative tests. Unfortunately, the results from his second PCR test that was sent to Burbank, California didn't come back until after Thursday's loss to the Rams.
“Gerald’s cleared. He was cleared yesterday," Carroll said on Friday. "He made it, like we thought. That was really unfortunate because we really had that one in hand. We knew exactly what was going on and exactly how it was trending. His test results came back in the middle of the night, last night after they arrived down south. He was cleared. He’ll practice on Monday."
Moving forward, Carroll expects the NFL to make changes to protocols preventing game day testing results from allowing a player to be cleared. Teams closer to their PCR testing locations currently have an unfair advantage compared to teams like the Seahawks who have to wait up to 12-16 hours to get results back from California.
Instead, Carroll anticipates the league will only allow test results from the day before to clear a player to return to help level the playing field for all 32 teams.
"This, what just happened, I think is going to change a bit of the ruling on game day because it was so evident that had we have been in Southern California, he [Everett] would have gone to the facility and tested and would’ve been ready," Carroll stated. "So, I think what might happen, and I’m guessing, is that game day testing results will not allow a guy to play."
With Everett's return, the Seahawks should be back at full strength at tight end with Will Dissly, Colby Parkinson, and Tyler Mabry also currently on the 53-man roster. Through three games, the former South Alabama standout has caught eight passes for 77 yards and a touchdown.
No other moves were listed for Seattle on the NFL's daily transaction wire, but with quarterback Russell Wilson expected to miss 4-8 weeks of action after undergoing surgery to repair a ruptured tendon in his right middle finger, he could be heading to injured reserve at some point this week to open up a roster spot. Practice squad quarterback Jake Luton is expected to be elevated to serve as a backup for Geno Smith.
Rookie cornerback Tre Brown, who was designated to return to practice last week from injured reserve, may be ready to activate as well to provide reinforcements in the secondary.
