Seahawks Waive CB Jamar Taylor, Activate TE Ed Dickson
In an inevitable series of moves, the Seahawks officially activated tight end Ed Dickson to the 53-man roster and waived veteran cornerback Jamar Taylor on Wednesday.
Dickson, 32, has been on injured reserve since Week 1 following August knee surgery and returned to practice two weeks ago. Seattle needed to place him on the active roster by Wednesday or he wouldn’t have been eligible to return this season.
With tight end Luke Willson likely to miss at least one game with a strained hamstring, Dickson’s return comes at a perfect time for the Seahawks. The team has already been without starter Will Dissly, who suffered a season-ending ruptured Achilles tendon in Week 6 at Cleveland.
Appearing in 10 games for Seattle last season, Dickson caught 12 passes for 143 yards and three touchdowns, including a game-winning touchdown reception against Green Bay.
Following coach Pete Carroll’s not-so-glowing commentary on Monday, Seattle’s decision to waive Taylor shouldn’t be a surprising one. The 29-year old cornerback has struggled with limited opportunities, allowing 40 receptions in just 129 defensive snaps this season.
“He’s been up and down, and he had a couple plays last week that got away,” Carroll bluntly said. “He’s in a competitive situation, and he’s got to keep doing well to hold his spot just like everybody else.”
Now that Taylor has been released, the Seahawks will likely turn to fourth-round pick Ugo Amadi as his replacement. The rookie out of Oregon started the season opener against the Bengals and Carroll indicated he’s “anxious” to see the versatile defender get more opportunities moving forward.
Seattle could also consider using Quandre Diggs at nickel cornerback as well. He offers prior starting experience at the position dating back to his time with the Lions, but after playing well at free safety against the 49ers in Week 10, making another switch may not be ideal.
If the Seahawks do choose to go that route, second-round pick Marquise Blair would likely check into the lineup alongside Bradley McDougald, putting all three talented safeties on the field at the same time and giving defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr. extra flexibility.
Veteran reserve Akeem King could also be an option, as he competed against Taylor, Amadi, and Kalan Reed for the nickel job during training camp and the preseason.
