Former Washington safety Zeke Turner signs with Seattle Seahawks

Former Washington Huskies safety Ezekiel Turner is returning to Seattle.

Former Washington Huskies safety Zeke Turner, one half of the hard-hitting safety duo known as the “Smash Bros” during his time in college, signed with the Seattle Seahawks on Tuesday.

During his five seasons with the Arizona Cardinals, Turner has become known as an elite special teams contributor. His aggressiveness, high energy, and violent hitting earned him a spot on the Pro Football Writers Association All-Rookie team as a special teamer in 2018.

Turner joined the Huskies secondary in 2015 after spending one season with Pierce College in Los Angeles, where he got the attention of former defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake. The Pasadena, Maryland native spent his time on Montlake playing safety and finished his career with 100 tackles, 4 pass breakups, 2 interceptions, and 3.5 tackles for loss.

The other half of the “Smash Bros,” former Husky safety Jojo McIntosh, had some high praise for his running mate.

“He’s a monster, he practices like a monster,” he told the Seattle Times in 2017. “He plays like a monster. He has so much energy. You see him make a play and just go crazy, and it pumps everybody up.”

After signing with Arizona as an undrafted free agent in 2016, Turner transitioned from safety to linebacker. He will be replacing linebacker Devin Richardson on the Seahawks practice squad, and with injuries to Uchenna Nwosu and Trevis Gipson, Turner could be inserted into coach Mike McDonald’s defense quickly in the Emerald City, especially after the unit’s struggles on Thursday Night Football.