Seahawks Choose Not to Activate DT Demarcus Christmas

While the Seahawks will welcome guard Phil Haynes back into the fold this week in San Francisco, fellow rookie defensive tackle Demarcus Christmas won’t be as fortunate.

As confirmed by the team’s website, Seattle opted not to activate Christmas from the physically unable to perform list prior to the end of his 21-day practice window on Wednesday. He will revert to the reserve/PUP list and will not be eligible to return for the rest of this season.

Drafted in the sixth round of April’s draft out of Florida State, Christmas participated in Seattle’s offseason program without any known injuries. However, he landed on the PUP list before the start of training camp with an unspecified back injury and wasn’t ready to return for the season opener.

Per league rules, if a player remains on the PUP list at the start of the season, he must miss at least the first six weeks of the season. Haynes and Christmas fell into this category, forcing them to sit out and work out with team trainers until returning to the practice field on October 16.

Due to injuries suffered by Ethan Pocic and Justin Britt that landed both players on injured reserve, Haynes may have an excellent opportunity to swiftly work his way into Seattle’s offensive line rotation. The fourth-round pick out of Wake Forest started all four years against stout ACC competition and impressed the coaching staff during the offseason.

But for Christmas, the path to a potential role this season looked far murkier. Seattle reinstated star defensive tackle Jarran Reed from suspension three weeks ago to go along with starter Poona Ford, run-stuffing veteran Al Woods, and versatile defensive lineman Quinton Jefferson.

Barring an injury, the Seahawks simply didn’t have any reason to activate an unknown like Christmas who didn’t benefit from playing a single snap in the preseason.

Christmas may still have a bright future for Seattle, as the 6-foot-3, 302-pound defensive tackle could compete for a rotational role next season with Jefferson heading to free agency and Woods set to turn 33 years old in March. With his rookie year becoming a redshirt season, he will now shift his focus to preparing for 2020.