Seahawks sign Michael Palmer for tight end depth
Jul 23, 2013, 11:56 AM | Updated: 12:20 pm
By Brady Henderson
Anthony McCoy’s season-ending Achilles injury left the Seahawks with less depth at tight end behind starter Zach Miller.
They added to it Tuesday by signing Michael Palmer, a former undrafted free agent who spent his first three seasons playing behind Tony Gonzalez in Atlanta. Defensive back Ray Polk, an undrafted rookie from Colorado, was released to make room on the roster.
Palmer, 25, had 21 receptions for 123 yards and three touchdowns in three seasons with the Falcons, who signed him out of Clemson in 2010. He signed with the Giants in May as an unrestricted free agent but was released later that month.
Coming off a strong season in which he began to shake some of the inconsistency that dogged him earlier in his career, McCoy was the leading candidate to back up Miller before tearing his right Achilles tendon in May. That left the Seahawks without a proven backup tight end. Seattle sees promise in rookie fifth-round pick Luke Willson and Sean McGrath, but neither of those two nor any other tight end on the roster aside from Miller has recorded a reception in a regular-season NFL game.
Palmer’s addition leaves Seattle with seven tight ends on its roster. Miller, Willson, McGrath, Darren Fells, Copper Helfet and Victor Marshall are the others.
