Seahawks add fullback after all

The Seattle Seahawks announced their initial 53-man roster on Saturday and by Monday, they’ve already made two changes. After swapping out defensive tackle Justin Hamilton for Garrison Smith on Sunday, the Seahawks signed fullback Tani Tupou to the roster on Monday after safety L.J. McCray failed his physical — McCray had been acquired via trade with the San Francisco 49ers on Saturday.

Seattle lost running back Troymaine Pope to the New York Jets on the waiver wire and released fullback Will Tukuafu two weeks after re-signing him. Tupou was playing defensive tackle in the preseason (as noted in the picture above where he’s not carrying the football, but sacking a quarterback) but he’ll be the fullback in Week 1, it appears.

The Seahawks ran through a number of defensive-to-offensive transitions at fullback this summer, including with linebacker Kyle Coleman and defensive tackle Brandin Bryant, but it now appears that Tupou (a defensive lineman at the University of Washington also) has won the job in favor of them and Tukuafu.

Seattle hosts the Miami Dolphins on September 11 at CenturyLink Field.