Jesse Williams heads to the Injured Reserve, Seahawks sign Marcus Dowtin and release Randall Carroll

As had been feared, Jesse Williams has been placed on the injured reserve after sustaining another knee injury on Wednesday. This is the second season-ending injury the Seahawks have suffered during training camp, this news following Anthony McCoy's achilles tendon tear. Both players were on the injured reserve last year as well.

Seattle officially announced the signing of WR Ronald Johnson to take Williams' spot on the roster, then released receiver Randall Carroll to clear a spot for LB Marcus Dowtin.

Dowtin is another in a long line of SPARQ'd up linebackers for the Seahawks at 6'2, 230 pounds. He ran a 4.56 40 with a 4.14 short shuttle, 6.89 3-cone, 38" vert, and a 10'2" broad jump for a pSPARQ score of 132 (which puts him right in the Malcolm Smith range, Mike Morgan range). He was known as "The Hybrid" with the Jets because he played a little at both linebacker and safety.

Dowtin has played with the Eagles, Bills, and Jets, and now will get a shot with the Seahawks.

Here's a scouting report from ProFootballWeekly when he came out of North Alabama (transferred from Georgia, where he was kicked off the team for an arrest).

Positives:

Has a lean, cut-up physique. Highly athletic - quiet, safety-like movement skills. Good balance and body control. Quick-handed, quick-footed and agile to slip blocks. Flows laterally and ranges sideline-to-sideline. Closes fast. Fills the hole with authority. Shows striking ability. Drops effortlessly into zone and can intercept. Was used as a pass rusher and can get home as a blitzer. Productive. MVP of Battle of Florida all-star game.

Negatives:

Small-framed and lacks ideal bulk. Can be covered up by larger blockers. Overruns some plays. Occasionally tackles high - will lasso or grab more than he should instead of driving through ballcarriers. Was athletically superior as a Division II player. Character needs to be looked into.

Summary:

A legit SEC athlete, Dowtin stuffed the stat sheet in his only season at North Alabama. Has intriguing physical ability and versatility to play multiple spots in a fast-flowing, 4-3 front, as well as handle nickel linebacker duties and excel on special teams if he falls in line.