Seahawks Open Practice Window for Special Teams Star

The 2025 Seattle Seahawks had a historically good special teams unit. The 2026 Seattle Seahawks, to this point, have been something less than that. Maybe they’re not bad, maybe they’re still good, but something has been missing. And with some key pieces of last year’s unit on other teams, they need something new to inject into the lineup.

Irv Charles Opens Up His Practice Window

One of the announcements the Seahawks put out there earlier today was that Irv Charles, a special teams wizard they traded for from the New York Jets back in May, will be taken off IR. This opens up his practice window, and the team has 21 days to either activate him to the 53 man roster or put him on season-ending IR. It sounds like a return is imminent.

This is not the skillset Charles is best known for. — New York Jets wide receiver Irvin Charles (19) attempts to catch a pass against the Pittsburgh Steelers. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

The Seahawks have a fairly elementary roster decision in front of them, with Montorie Foster Jr having been a healthy scratch for three games this season as the fifth wide receiver. Despite a fun training camp and preseason, Foster hasn’t been able to impact the game. With Charles’s history of special teams excellence, it’s a simple decision for the team.

The Special Teams Savior

Irv Charles entered the league in 2023, and has yet to catch a pass. And yet, not only is he still in the league, but he’s still a coveted player, as evidenced by the fact that the Seahawks traded for him. That’s how good he is on special teams. He may even be the best special teams specialist in the league. Of course, that was a couple years ago, so we need to see it again.

It doesn't get better than Irv Charles on punt returns. — New York Jets wide receiver Irvin Charles (19) hits Denver Broncos wide receiver Marvin Mims Jr. (19) during a punt return. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Charles had a 90.3 special teams grade in 2023 and then an 88.6 grade in 2024 from Pro Football Focus. Both would place him among the highest graded special teamers in the sport. And he did a lot of ST work, providing snaps on kickoff returns and coverage, as well as punt returns and coverage. He can single-handedly turn a play in his team’s favor.

A Needle Mover

The Seahawks won the super bowl last season in large part because they had a massive special teams advantage in every game they played. Think about the playoffs. They ended the divisional round game against the 49ers in 13 seconds because of special teams. They flipped an evenly-fought game against the Rams the next week because of special teams.

Let's get back to this. — Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Rashid Shaheed (22) returns a kickoff for a touchdown as San Francisco 49ers place kicker Eddy Pineiro (18) attempts to trip him up. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The fact that they’ve been forgettable there so far this year is a significant problem. And a single expert gunner could make all the difference. If Charles can stay healthy (he missed all of 2025) and get back to 2024 form, I think this should get way better over the next couple months.

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