Seattle Seahawks defensive back Ty Okada is dealing with a hamstring injury that has held him out for the first two weeks of the season.
With Okada on the sidelines, the Seahawks have relied on Rodney Thomas II , a fifth-year pro who spent his first four seasons with the Indianapolis Colts . Thomas signed with the Seahawks during the offseason, but he was cut ahead of the 53-man roster deadline.
He ultimately joined the practice squad but was elevated for the season opener with Okada and Nick Emmanwori out due to injury. As Okada sat out for a second straight week, Thomas was brought up once again to start for the Seahawks.
Players on the practice squad can be elevated to the active roster up to three times, leaving the Seahawks with only one more chance to promote Thomas. However, the Seahawks got ahead of the issue by signing Thomas to the 53-man roster. NFL insider Aaron Wilson was the first to report the news.
Hamstring injuries are tricky to navigate, and not placing Okada on injured reserve was a sign that the team hoped he would be back soon enough. However, with Thomas joining the 53-man roster, it's likely due to the fact that Okada might not be ready any time soon. It's possible that the corresponding move for the Seahawks is to place him on injured reserve, which means he would be out for a minimum of four weeks.
If that's the direction the Seahawks want to go in, it would give the fourth-year pro enough time to focus on his rehab and come back as healthy as possible going into the meat of the regular season. Should he be placed on injured reserve this week with a chance to return, he would miss at least four games against the Washington Commanders, Los Angeles Chargers, San Francisco 49ers , and Denver Broncos , which is a Thursday Night Football game for Week 6.
The earliest he would be able to return is October 25 against the Kansas City Chiefs , which is a Sunday Night Football showdown at Lumen Field, where Kenneth Walker III will make his return to Seattle for the first time since he was named Super Bowl MVP.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/seahawks/onsi as Seahawks Latest Roster Move is Bad News for Ty Okada .
