The Seattle Seahawks announced Wednesday they have signed linebacker Mychal Kendricks to their practice squad.
Kendricks, 30, spent the past two seasons with Seattle but wasn't re-signed over the offseason. He tore his ACL in Week 17 of last season and also finished the 2018 season on injured reserve
"Mychal's a really good ballplayer," head coach Pete Carroll said. "We thought he did great stuff for us in the past. Had a huge injury, has done a marvelous job of returning. Right now, this is the first day that he's practiced since he got hurt, so we're going to take it slow and make sure that Mike gets enough time to get going again, and then we'll see where he fits in."
The Seahawks brought back Bruce Irvin and drafted Jordyn Brooks in the first round to bolster their linebacker corps around All-Pro Bobby Wagner and K.J. Wright. But they've since lost Irvin to a season-ending ACL injury and have been without Brooks (knee) for the past two games, creating a need for a reinforcement like Kendricks.
The Seahawks have moved Wright to the strong side in Irvin's absence while Brooks and Cody Barton have taken over on the weak side.
Kendricks played both strong- and weakside linebacker during his two seasons with Seattle, recording 90 tackles, five sacks and an interception over 18 games. Carroll said the initial plan will be to play Kendricks on the weak side.
"He's versatile. He's gonna start at his best spot, at WILL, and get in there and see how he does there knowing that he can play the SAM spot," Carroll said. "We used him all over the place when he was here in the last couple of years, so we're really excited to get him back."
Kendricks has yet to be sentenced in his federal insider trading case. His sentencing date has been pushed back several times, most recently from Oct. 14 to Jan. 13, 2021, according to a spokesperson with the United States District Court's Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
Brooks returned to practice Wednesday, but it's not clear whether he will be ready for Sunday's game against the Arizona Cardinals. The Seahawks are coming off their bye.
Meanwhile, strong safety Jamal Adams did not practice Wednesday and his chances of playing Sunday are no longer as certain as Carroll suggested they were last week, when he said Adams would be back following Seattle's bye. Adams has missed two games with a groin injury. He didn't suffer a setback, according to Carroll, so it's unclear why his status has changed.
Also Wednesday, Seattle elevated safety Damarious Randall to its 53-man roster and placed safety Lano Hill (back) on injured reserve.
Seattle signed another linebacker to its practice squad, eighth-year veteran Ray-Ray Armstrong. The Seahawks had already used their two game-day elevations for Randall, meaning he would have to be added to their 53-man roster full-time in order to play.