Seahawks sign C.J. Spiller to bolster RB depth, waive Terrence Magee

RENTON – With Thomas Rawls likely out for a few weeks and C.J. Prosise dealing with an injury of his own, the Seahawks have bolstered their running-back depth by signing former first-round pick C.J. Spiller to a one-year deal.

The team announced Spiller’s signing Wednesday afternoon. To make room, the Seahawks waived running back Terrence Magee, who was signed last week to their practice squad and was then promoted to their active roster for Sunday’s game against San Francisco.

Spiller, 29, was the ninth overall pick by the Bills in 2010. He spent his first five seasons with Buffalo, where he was teammates with former Seahawks running backs Marshawn Lynch and Fred Jackson, and played for New Orleans last season.

The Saints released Spiller two weeks ago despite a good amount of money left on the four-year, $16 million deal he signed in March of 2015. But he was coming off a dud of a debut season with New Orleans in which he had arthroscopic knee surgery over the summer and then carried only 36 times for 112 yards and no touchdowns in 13 games. He was more productive as a receiver out of the backfield, catching 34 passes for 239 yards and two scores.

Spiller’s 2016 base salary of $1.7 million with New Orleans became guaranteed when he was on the Saints’ Week-1 roster. His deal with the Seahawks will presumably be closer to the league minimum, which is 760,000 for a player of his NFL tenure.

Injuries have altered Seattle’s backfield plans. Rawls, the projected starter heading into the season, is expected to miss multiple weeks with a crack in his fibula. That leaves the starting role in the hands of Christine Michael, who has been Seattle’s most productive back over the first three games and is coming off a career-best 106-yard, two-touchdown rushing performance against the 49ers.

Prosise, a rookie third-round pick, was slotted to be Seattle’s third-down back but hasn’t played the last two games due to a hand injury he sustained in the opener. Coach Pete Carroll said Wednesday that Prosise’s injury is one that typically lasts six weeks and that he’ll likely have to wear a protective device on his hand for the remainder of that time frame.

Another rookie, Alex Collins, is the other running back on Seattle’s roster.

Spiller’s skill-set could make him a fit for the third-down role, which requires backs who can catch and pass protect. He has averaged 7.0 yards on 192 career catches with eight receiving touchdowns. His best year as a runner was in 2012, when he totaled 1,244 rushing yards with six touchdowns and a 6.0 yards-per-carry average.

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