Seahawks waive Tharold Simon, re-sign Will Tukuafu among several roster moves

The Seahawks waived Tharold Simon and added former Raider Neiko Thorpe in a swap of cornerbacks while also re-signing back fullback Will Tukuafu among several roster moves on Tuesday.

Former Husky Tani Tupou was also waived as Seattle brought back Tukuafu, an expected move that coach Pete Carroll hinted at last week.

Less expected was Seattle’s decision to waive Simon, though it’s not shocking either considering his long history of injuries and how he was inactive for Sunday’s opener after hurting his knee last week. Simon, a fifth-round pick in 2013, appeared in only 11 regular-season games over his first three seasons, missing his rookie year entirely and then making only one appearance in 2015.

He appeared to be in line to be Seattle’s fourth cornerback this season after earning rave reviews from Carroll for the shape he was in and for the way he performed over the offseason. But Simon was less impressive in the preseason then missed time last week with a knee injury before returning to practice as a full participant on Friday. Carroll said the decision to deactivate him on Sunday was because Simon only had one full day of practice last week.

Simon was not waived with an injury designation, which suggests that Seattle could be moving on for good.

Thorpe, 26, appeared in 37 games for Kansas City and more recently Oakland since entering the league as an undrafted free agent in 2012. He started two games and played in 14 for the Raiders last year, recording 40 tackles, six passes defensed and an interception. The Seahawks list Thorpe at 6 feet 2 and 198 pounds. He and undrafted rookie DeAndre Elliott will vie to be Seattle’s fourth cornerback with Simon gone.

Tukuafu was released as Seattle set its initial 53-man roster, leaving Tupou to handle fullback duties in the opener against Miami. As a vested veteran, Tukuafu would have been guaranteed his entire 2016 salary had he been on Seattle’s roster in Week 1. So by bringing him back now, the Seahawks can pay Tukuafu on a week-by-week basis instead.

The Seahawks also made changes to their practice squad Tuesday, most notably adding Jake Heaps, who was Seattle’s third quarterback all offseason. He gives Seattle some reinforcement at the position while starter Russell Wilson deals with a sprained ankle that could limit his ability to practice this week but, according to Carroll, shouldn’t keep him from playing Sunday against Los Angeles. That the Seahawks only added Heaps to their practice squad as opposed to a veteran to their active roster is another vote of confidence in Wilson’s health.

Seattle also released former Huskies wide receiver Kasen Williams from its practice squad along with defensive tackle Justin Hamilton, receiver Rodney Smith and tackle Takoby Cofield. Signed to Seattle’s practice squad along with Heaps were defensive end Tylor Harris, tackle Michael Ola and receiver Antwan Goodley.

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