Seahawks sign dangerous kick returner, designate Christian Haynes to return

Coming out of the bye, the Seattle Seahawks made a pair of moves on Wednesday in preparation for their Week 9 game against the Washington Commanders on Sunday night.

Seattle signed former New Orleans Saints special teamer and running back Velus Jones Jr. to the practice squad and designated second-year guard Christian Haynes to return to practice, the team announced.

Running back Myles Gaskin, who was born and raised in Lynnwood, Washington, and played at UW, was released from the practice squad. Gaskin returned home to join the Seahawks' practice squad on Oct. 1.

Jones is joining his fifth team since being a third-round pick by the Chicago Bears out of Tennessee in 2022. He was most recently with the Saints this season, but has also spent time with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Carolina Panthers.

Dec 8, 2024; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Seattle Seahawks guard Christian Haynes (64) against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Although he has just 165 yards and one touchdown rushing the football, Jones has primarily been utilized as a kick returner during his short career. Jones has averaged 25.9 yards per kick return in his career, totaling 1,244 yards on 48 attempts.

The Seahawks have used running back George Holani and wide receiver Dareke Young as their primary returners. Young has been excellent, averaging 32.2 yards per return on 10 attempts this season. Jones is likely just a backup option as depth.

Haynes (pectoral) returning to practice isn't hugely significant as it's unlikely he will replace any of the Seahawks' interior offensive linemen this season. He's been on injured reserve since the beginning of the season after being in both the guard and center competitions during training camp.

Seattle will have to make room on the 53-man roster if it wants to carry him there once he's fully healthy. The team will have 21 days to decide what to do with Haynes.

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