Danny O'Neil is reporting that Seattle has signed cornerback Ken Lucas and fullback Justin Griffith. Lucas was drafted by Seattle with the 40^th pick in the 2001 draft. He played four seasons in Seattle, in 62 games with 47 starts. He left after his best season, 2004, and signed a lucrative contract with Carolina. In 2008, he cost $5.9 million against the cap. That cap figure ultimately cost him his job, and Carolina cut Lucas on March 11 in order to save $2.3 million.

Lucas is a young 30, on the outer edge of a cornerback's prime. In2008, Lucas was the starting right cornerback for a Carolina defense that road a resurgent pass rush to a eighth ranked pass defense. He had two interceptions, 10 passes defensed and 60 tackles. Lucas is primarily a cover corner, with decent ball skills and good, sometimes thumping open-field tackling. He should start over Kelly Jennings and move Josh Wilson to nickel.

Justin Griffith is afraid to be too far from offensive coordinator Gregg Knapp. The two first bonded in 2004, and since that time, Griffith's second year in the league, Griffith has not played for another offensive coordinator. Griffith is a quality lead blocker with some limited receiving skills. He knows Knapp's offense as well as a fullback can, and will likely start over unpolished fullback prospect Owen Schmitt.

Seattle freed up the money by removing the franchise tag from Leroy Hill. How these signings affect or reflect Seattle's negotiations with Hill is unknown.