Tag: gavin heslop

Coach Pete Carroll updates Seahawks injuries after victory in Houston

Coach Pete Carroll provided a number of updates to the Seattle Seahawks injuries after their Week 14 victory in Houston over Texans.

The Seattle Seahawks earned their second win in as many weeks on Sunday when they beat the Houston Texans. Unfortunately, Seattle did sustain a number of injuries throughout the contest.

Coach Pete Carroll provided a number of injury updates during his postgame press conference.

“We should make mention of that Gavin Heslop had the horrible play on the sidelines over there,” Carroll said. “He was really hurting, and our hearts and love and everything go his way. He’s probably going to stay in town tonight as far as we know right now.”

The defensive back, who was just promoted from the practice squad on Friday, will remain in Texas overnight, likely to undergo leg surgery.

Another defensive back also sustained an injury on Sunday, cornerback D.J. Reed.

“He got hit in the chest, so he had a chest contusion,” Carroll explained. “I don’t know the seriousness or anything about that. He got whacked pretty good.”

Finally, defensive tackle Bryan Mone also came up sore in Week 14.

“Bryan sprained his knee,” Carroll confirmed. “Let’s just keep it at that for now until we know more.”

Additional updates should be available on Monday when Carroll is slated to address the media.

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Seahawks place Jamal Adams on IR, sign DB off their practice squad

Moments later, the team announced that Adams has been placed on the injured reserve list.

Seahawks coach Pete Carroll just told reporters that strong safety Jamal Adams has undergone season-ending surgery on his shoulder.

Moments later, the team announced that Adams has been placed on the injured reserve list. Taking his place on the 53-man roster will be defensive back Gavin Heslop, who has been signed off the practice squad.

And so Adams finishes his 2021 season with 87 total tackles (four for a loss), five pass breakups and two interceptions. However, he also had just two quarterback hits and no sacks after posting 9.5 in his first year with Seattle.

Heslop was out of practice-squad elevations, so he had to be signed to the roster to be active. So far this season he has played a total of 15 special teams snaps. Expect him to be at the bottom end of the DB rotation on defense. Meanwhile, Ryan Neal is slated to start at Adams’ strong safety spot.

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Seahawks elevate 2 players from practice squad for Washington game

The Seattle Seahawks have elevated two players from their practice squad ahead of tonight’s game against the Washington Football Team.

After announcing four roster moves on Saturday evening, the Seattle Seahawks have elevated two players from their practice squad ahead of tonight’s game against the Washington Football Team.

Here’s what you need to know about the team’s two latest transactions.

Seahawks elevate 2 defensive backs ahead of Dolphins game

The Seahawks have elevated two defensive backs ahead of the Dolphins game Week 4: safety Damarious Randall and cornerback Gavin Heslop.

The Seattle Seahawks are running thin on the defensive side of the ball due to injuries. Safety Jamal Adams and linebacker Jordyn Brooks have already been ruled out for Sunday and three other defenders are listed as questionable to face the Dolphins.

To add some depth to the secondary, the Seahawks have elevated two defensive backs from the practice squad ahead of their Week-4 contest. Safety Damarious Randall and cornerback Gavin Heslop have both been brought up from the practice squad.

Randall was just signed to the practice squad this week and is a versatile option for Seattle.

Both players are now available for the Seahawks to utilize on their game-day roster and will automatically revert back to the practice squad on Monday.

The Seahawks and the Dolphins are set to square off Sunday morning at 10:00 a.m. PT from Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. Here’s everything you need to know to catch all the action as well as our preview for the matchup.

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Why cornerback Gavin Heslop could make Seahawks roster

Seattle Seahawks CB Gavin Heslop possesses the length, athleticism and high football IQ that Pete Carroll loves out of his defensive backs.

The Seattle Seahawks brought in a whopping 17 undrafted free agents from the 2020 class to compete for spots on the active roster.

Most years, teams are lucky to get one UDFA to make the squad, as they are primarily brought in to give the team extra bodies during training camp.

However, the Seahawks have had plenty of luck in the past, going all the way back to Dave Krieg and including Jermaine Kearse, Doug Baldwin and more recently, defensive tackle Poona Ford.

This years class is sure to have some intriguing players in it, and one who could stand out above the rest is former Stony Brook cornerback Gavin Heslop.

Heslop received a call from the Seahawks during the fifth round of the draft, telling him they were hoping to pick him up if he went undrafted. Just seconds after the draft concluded, he got a call from coach Pete Carroll.

“It meant a lot, just having a NFL team wanting to take a chance on me and bringing me in to be a part of their organization,” Heslop told The Journal News. “I’m just thankful for the opportunity. I’m so grateful for the opportunity, that Pete Carroll and the staff was interested and liked what I was doing on the field and like what type of person I am to give me a chance.”

Heslop stands six-foot-one and has 32 inch arms, which is a near requirement to be an outside cornerback in Carroll’s defense. He was a three-year starter at Stony Brook, and earned All-CAA honors twice. He posted 52 tackles, 8.5 for loss, 1.5 sacks, a pair of blocked kicks, three forced fumbles, three recoveries, and one defensive touchdown in his final season with the Seawolves.

Heslop’s best path to making the active roster would be if Quinton Dunbar, currently facing legal issues in Florida, is unable to start the season with the team. If Dunbar is able to play, the team will have Dunbar, Shaquill Griffin, Ugo Amadi, Tre Flowers and Neiko Thorpe all likely reprising roles on the defense and special teams.

However, Heslop’s length and athleticism would make him a dynamite special teams contributor, and there’s plenty of reason to think Seattle will keep him around to contribute in that role, if they can find a way to sneak him onto the active roster or at least the (expanded) practice squad.

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How Quinton Dunbar’s arrest could impact Seattle’s depth at CB

The Seattle Seahawks have six cornerbacks vying for a final roster spot as a backup and special teams contributor.

The Seattle Seahawks set themselves up to have a cornerback room featuring Shaquill Griffin, Quinton Dunbar and Ugo Amadi as the starters on the outside and at nickel, respectively, with former starter Tre Flowers joining Neiko Thorpe as depth options across the secondary in 2020.

The best laid plans don’t always come together, however, and now, four months before the season is set to begin, the Seahawks are already facing a big wrinkle with the recent arrest of Dunbar, who is facing four counts of felony armed robbery.

It’s far, far too early to know how Dunbar’s situation is going to play out, especially with his defense lawyer disputing the facts of the original warrant. The legal proceedings could easily take the entire summer, and regardless of if he is convicted of a crime or not the NFL can, and will, do their own investigation, which could lead to a suspension.

So while that will be an unresolved matter of interest for the next few months, the Seahawks will be forced to evaluate their depth at cornerback, in case Dunbar is not available when the regular season rolls around.

The most likely scenario, if that ends up being the case, is to plug Flowers back into a starting role at right corner, a role he held in both 2018 and 2019.

Should that happen, a role as a backup corner (and likely special teams contributor) would open up on the active roster – and you know how much coach Pete Carroll loves hosting an open competition.

The contenders currently on the roster include Linden Stephens, Brian Allen, Jayson Stanley, Debione Renfro, Gavin Heslop and Kemah Siverand.

Stephens spent most of 2019 on Seattle’s practice squad before he was claimed by the Dolphins, appearing in three games and making three combined tackles. Stephens made it back to Seattle in April and is in contention to play some nickel this season, if he plays well in camp.

Allen played in 16 games for the Steelers between 2017-2018, exclusively on special teams, racking up three combined tackles. He’s the biggest of the group however, standing six-foot-three, and his size and NFL experience make him a strong candidate to take the final roster spot in the secondary.

Stanley was claimed just after the draft, and he has the size profile (six-foot-two, 209 pounds) that the Seahawks target, as well as experience as a former wide receiver in college.

Renfro, Heslop and Siverand were all signed as undrafted free agents. Renfro starred at Texas A&M in college, and his scouting profile points to someone who should excel as a special teamer, which will give him a nice advantage when looking for a roster spot.

Heslop is six-foot-one and was a big-time playmaker while at Stony Brook, able to play any spot in the secondary and contribute on the special teams.

Lastly, Siverand played wide receiver A&M before transferring to Oklahoma State, where he racked up 11 tackles as a defensive back. His stats aren’t very telling, but he also possesses the size and versatility to potentially contribute on the special teams.

The Seahawks also have a handful of options they could pursue on the open market, including Logan Ryan and Trumaine Johnson, but don’t be surprised if the team decides to hold a competition with the players they already have on the roster.

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