Seahawks Sign G/T Edawn Coughman, Release TE John Nalbone

The Seahawks have signed Edawn Coughman, a 6'4, 305 pound offensive guard/tackle to their 90-man roster, and released TE John Nalbone. Coughman was draft eligible in the 2011 Draft out of Shaw University, went undrafted and played in the CFL with the Toronto Argonauts last season. He was released May 14 following gun possession charges in Montreal. According to the different reports I've read, SWAT teams stormed into his room after a maid reported seeing his gun on a table; the gun was bought legally in Georgia but Coughman claims he wasn't aware of the strength of gun laws in Quebec.

Coughman fits the bill as a Seahawks' style lineman. He ran a 5.07 40-yard dash at his 2011 Pro Day, including a 1.73 10-yard split, indicating for his size, he's got nice speed and explosiveness off the snap, useful for pulling downfield. He ran a 4.76 in the short shuttle, a 7.86 in the 3-cone, put up 31 reps on the bench, and possesses 10 3/8" hands.

According to a scouting report by Tabor J. Shaw, the Director of Player Personnel for the HBCU All-Star Bowl Game, Coughtman "anchored a Shaw offensive line that led the CIAA football conference in scoring offense (42.1 points per game) and total offense (387.4 yards a game). Coughman is a solid pass protecting offensive lineman with a nice degree of upside potential. Moves well on his feet, displays solid footwork sliding out to protect the edge and blocks with good fundamentals."

Shaw continued, noting Coughman "fights with his hands throughout the action, makes effective use of body positioning and seals defenders from the action. He's a versatile lineman spending time between guard, right and left tackle in his career. Coughman battled a right ankle injury during his senior season but did not miss a game showing his toughness. During the HBCU Bowl All-Star week, Coughman impressed NFL scouts with his quick feet, arm strength and overall pass protection ability."

More: "Coughman is not a natural knee bender especially on running plays and struggles to adjust at times which limits him to confined quarters. He also needs to consistently show more explosion and power at the point of attack. Coughman fits best in a run zone blocking scheme where he can reach, get out on the perimeter and cut block. He has the skill set to be a good rotation lineman at the next level but he is a prospect that will need sometime to develop on the practice squad."

Overall, he sounds like an interesting lineman prospect and one that possesses a nice amount of versatility. He tried out for the Seahawks during last week's mini-camp and apparently looked good enough to warrant a roster spot. It's also notable that he took the spot of TE John Nalbone on the 90-man roster, a player that Pete Carroll raved about just after the end of last year and whom I'd heard solid reports on the last couple of weeks. Coughman is now the 15th offensive lineman on the roster, joining Russell Okungl, Paul McQuistan, Max Unger, John Moffitt, Breno Giacomini, Deuce Lutui, Lemuel Jeanpierre, J.R. Sweezy, Rishaw Johnson, Allen Barbre, Paul Fanaika, Frank Omiyale, James Carpenter, and Alex Barron. The Seahawks now carry five tight ends - Zach Miller, Kellen Winslow, Cameron Morrah, Anthony McCoy, and Sean McGrath.