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Seahawks Promote T Chad Wheeler, Place LB Mychal Kendricks on IR

With Duane Brown and Mike Iupati still nursing injuries and uncertain for Sunday’s game in Green Bay, Seattle added additional depth to their offensive line by promoting Wheeler from the practice squad.
Corbin K. Smith|
Seahawks Promote T Chad Wheeler, Place LB Mychal Kendricks on IR
Seahawks Promote T Chad Wheeler, Place LB Mychal Kendricks on IR

After being kept on the active roster for their first playoff game, the Seahawks placed linebacker Mychal Kendricks on injured reserve on Wednesday. In a corresponding move, the team promoted tackle Chad Wheeler from the practice squad.

Kendricks, 29, exited Seattle’s season finale against San Francisco with an injured knee and did not return. He suffered the injury while pursuing 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk in coverage during the third quarter and hobbled off the field.

On the day after the game, news broke that Kendricks had suffered a season-ending ACL injury. Coach Pete Carroll confirmed the report and indicated during his press conference on Wednesday that the veteran would undergo surgery in the very near future.

Carroll told reporters last week that he hoped Kendricks would return to Seattle, but he will be a free agent in March and still faces a looming sentencing hearing for federal insider trading charges. His future remains in limbo from both a legal and physical standpoint as he prepares for a lengthy rehab to return to the field.

Kendricks finished the 2019 season with 74 tackles, 3.0 sacks, and an interception while starting 14 games for the Seahawks at strongside linebacker.

Entering the NFL undrafted out of USC in 2017, Wheeler signed with the Giants and started five games as a rookie. Replacing a struggling Ereck Flowers at right tackle, he started the final 14 games for New York in 2018 and logged more than 800 offensive snaps.

However, a back injury held Wheeler out of training camp and with the addition of veteran tackle Mike Remmers in free agency, the Giants waived him with an injury designation in late August. After clearing waivers, he reverted to injured reserve and reached an injury settlement with the team on September 6.

Wheeler, 25, signed with the Seahawks practice squad on October 15. He will now move to the active roster as an insurance policy with starting left tackle Duane Brown still recovering from knee surgery.

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Corbin K. Smith
CORBIN K. SMITH

Graduating from Manchester College in 2012, Smith began his professional career as a high school Economics teacher in Indianapolis and launched his own NFL website covering the Seahawks as a hobby. After teaching and coaching high school football for five years, he transitioned to a full-time sports reporter in 2017, writing for USA Today's Seahawks Wire while continuing to produce the Legion of 12 podcast. He joined the Arena Group in August 2018 and also currently hosts the daily Locked On Seahawks podcast with Rob Rang and Nick Lee. Away from his coverage of the Seahawks and the NFL, Smith dabbles in standup comedy, is a heavy metal enthusiast and previously performed as lead vocalist for a metal band, and enjoys distance running and weight lifting. A habitual commuter, he resides with his wife Natalia in Colorado and spends extensive time reporting from his second residence in the Pacific Northwest.

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