Seahawks make no trades at deadline, sign DE Damontre Moore

The NFL’s trade deadline came and went Tuesday afternoon without any deals by the Seahawks, whose only move was to swap out one defensive end for another. Seattle signed former Giants third-round pick Damontre Moore and released Malliciah Goodman, who has been with the team for a week.

That Seattle didn’t acquire an offensive tackle like Cleveland’s Joe Thomas or San Francisco’s Joe Staley – neither of whom were dealt – is a major disappointment among those hoping the Seahawks would find an upgrade at what has arguably been the team’s weakest position. That may have been the case even before Bradley Sowell went down with an MCL sprain, prompting Seattle to had its left tackle job to undrafted rookie George Fant, who last season was a backup college tight end while playing football for the first time since junior high.

Not that the lack of a move was a surprise. Trades are rare in the NFL to begin with and there was no indication that Seattle was in serious discussions to make one. Coach Pete Carroll threw water on the possibility of a trade last week when asked about options to replace Sowell, who was hurt a day earlier. They’d look at their trade options as they always do, Carroll said, but it was unlikely they’d find an upgrade at an agreeable price.

So, for now, it will be either Fant or Sowell at left tackle with Garry Gilliam on the right side. Carroll said he was pleased with the way Fant played Sunday against New Orleans, his penalties notwithstanding. Fant was flagged for clipping and a false start plus an illegal bock in the back that was incorrectly attributed to center Justin Britt.

Carroll said Sowell has a chance to return this week, noting he was close to playing Sunday just a week removed from his MCL injury. Carroll wouldn’t commit to a starter at left tackle.

“We’ll see how that goes. We don’t know,” he said when asked if Fant did enough Sunday to supplant Sowell. “Let us get through this week and see what the options are and all of that. But he did a very good job for his first time playing and he showed why we’ve been talking about him so much. He’s very, very well equipped physically and got a good brain about it, got a good competitive mindset. There’s just so much to learn. He’s trying to take it all in.”

Moore, 24, was a third-round pick by the Giants in 2013 and has shown some pass-rush ability with a combined 9.5 sacks in 2014 and 2015. He was waived by the team late last season following a fight with a teammate over a pair of headphones, which, according to this ESPN.com story by Dan Graziano, was indicative of a larger issue with his maturity and behavior.

Moore finished last season with Miami. He was waived by Oakland in August and hasn’t played this season. His signing by Seattle comes with Michael Bennett expected to miss multiple games due a knee injury that he will have surgically repaired on Wednesday. Coach Pete Carroll has confirmed reports that Bennett is expected to be out two to three weeks, though he’s called that an optimistic timetable.