Seattle Seahawks Sign DB/KR Will Blackmon

According to Mike Garafolo of USA Today, the Seahawks have signed Will Blackmon to a futures contract, meaning he will be added to  the roster once rosters expand to 90 next month. Blackmon has most recently been playing with the Arizona Rattlers in the Arena League.

Jan 8, 2012; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants defensive back Will Blackmon (36) waves to the crowd during the fourth quarter of the 2011 NFC wild card playoff game against the Atlanta Falcons at MetLife Stadium. Giants won, 24-2. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

All NFL teams sign a lot of guys this time of year, and rarely do they ever make any impact on the team once the games begin. This is why I don’t normally list all these transactions here at 12th Man Rising, but Blackmon’s name caught my eye because I remembered him from games when the Seahawks played the Packers.

There was once a time when Blackmon was considered a dangerous return man. Blackmon had 3 returns for TD combined in 2007 and 2008, which were his first 2 years handling return duties. In 2009 he played in just 3 games, and failed to make an impact.

Blackmon moved to the Giants in 2010, and played sparingly, appearing in just 11 games in that time, with 20 total punt returns and 15 total kick returns to go with 8 tackles during that time. He did not play in the NFL in 2012.

What should we make of this signing? Not much. While I trust John Schneider’s ability to find diamonds where no one else is looking, I doubt Blackmon is that type of player. He’s 28, and 2 teams have already seen him come and go.

Ultimately, I think Blackmon comes to camp as Leon Washington insurance. Blackmon will be able to handle some of the return duties in camp in and the preseason, and If Leon suffers some sort of freak injury, then Seattle will have a replacement ready to go.