The Seahawks signed kicker Brandon Coutu today to provide a little competition for the only other kicker currently on the roster, undrafted free agent Wes Bynum.
Coutu was originally drafted by the Seahawks in the 7th round of the 2008 Draft. He was infamously the '2nd kicker' for the team all season, taking up that valuable place on the 53-man roster all year but he never appeared in a game, with Olindo Mare entrenched as the starter. He was released at final cuts in 2009.
Coutu went 4-for-5 on his field gull goal attempts in the preseason that year, even hitting a 52 yard attempt, but apparently a lack of kickoff strength was what was holding him back. That problem may be less of an issue now that the NFL has pushed kickoffs forward five yards.
He does have some range on when it comes to kicking field goals though, -- he once put a 58 yard attempt through while at Georgia. He hit two other 50+ yarders in his career there. We'll see if he can resurrect his NFL career here in Seattle.