Seahawks claim LS Adam Steiner off of waivers from Oakland

The Seahawks released DB Chandler Fenner and claimed LS Adam Steiner off of waivers from the Raiders. Steiner, a rookie out of Akron, signed with Oakland after the draft and will now presumably compete with incumbent Clint Gresham for a roster spot at that under-appreciated position.

Gresham has been nails in his long-snapping duties over the past few years, and the rapport he has with both P Jon Ryan and likely K Steven Hauschka is valuable - but he recently signed a $1.323M tender - a relatively steep number for a player at that position. The Seahawks may look for cap savings if Steiner proves consistent and capable at that spot.

One thing that Steiner does seem to possess is some athleticism - at 6'2, 232, Steiner recently ran the 40 in 4.81 seconds, the short shuttle in 4.28 seconds, the three-cone in 7.2 seconds, and registered a fairly absurd (for a long snapper, anyway) 41" vertical and a 10'06" broad jump. It's worth noting that long-snappers do partake in punt coverage duties after snapping the ball so athleticism is a variable you have to consider. The Seahawks clearly value speed on special teams and Steiner is a clear upgrade to Gresham in that category.

Obviously there's something to be said about continuity/cooperation the longsnapper position - a position often asked to perform in high-pressure situations with precision and consistency, so Steiner is probably a long-shot. More likely he's competition for Gresham in the way that Carson Wiggs has been competition for Hauschka, but it will be interesting to watch to see if he can push the veteran.