Report: Seahawks adding UDFA QB Holton Ahlers to practice squad

The Seattle Seahawks have their third QB! Or at least, they brought a third passer on as a member of the practice squad. Holton Ahlers is rejoining the team to help run the scout team offense, with some potential to get called up to the active roster on gameday. Brian Bailey reported the news earlier today.

Without trying to be hyperbolic, Ahlers performed better than almost anybody would have expected given the circumstances. Holton was a star at East Carolina, setting basically every record in the ECU passing book, according to Sports Reference; he beat out retired NFL veteran David Garrard, who himself was once a successful QB at ECU. Interestingly enough, Gardner Minshew also played at ECU prior to joining the WSU Cougars. Still, Ahlers looked raw and far from ready to jump into NFL action. As do a lot of rookie passers.

No, I do not believe that this means he is destined to be the better pro than Anthony Richardson, but I like Holton Ahlers. From what I saw, he played with confidence and enthusiasm, and he seems to possess the physical tools required to be a dynamic player. He will help run the scout team, and thanks to the new “third QB rule,” he may be a gameday call-up in the event that the team needs to utilize an emergency passer. This is not a scenario anybody wants to see, but at least Ahlers looks like he would provide some excitement and keep defenses honest if called upon. I will leave you with this brief snippet from a scouting report courtesy of Sports Illustrated:

NFLPA Collegiate Bowl Watch: Standing at 6-3, 231 pounds, Holton Ahlers is no small man. The soon-to-be four-year starter possesses good NFL size for the position and frustrates many would-be sackers with his strength to break tackles. What’s impressive about the southpaw (and hometown hero for ECU) is that he looks to throw the ball downfield rather than run, and he isn’t afraid to thread the needle with his pass while putting trust in his receivers to make a play. NFL evaluators appreciate his ability to come off his primary read to find secondary targets, and he displays his veteran savvy by looking off safeties prior to throwing over the middle of the field.