Seattle, WA
Seattle Seahawks 90-Man Roundup: Can Drake Thomas Earn Rotational Linebacker Role?
With OTAs now opening across the NFL, the Seattle Seahawks will open training camp at the VMAC in a little over two months, officially ushering in the first season under new coach Mike Macdonald.
In preparation for the new incoming season, we’ll be detailing every member of the Seahawks 90-man roster over the next several weeks, diving into scheme fits, exploring best and worst case scenarios, and predicting what to expect from each player entering the 2024 campaign.
After playing in eight games with the Seahawks in 2023, will Drake Thomas rebound from injury and find a way to earn a rotational role in 2024?
Thomas was a three-star recruit per 247 Sports and committed to play for NC State in the 2019 recruiting class. He played in four seasons for the Wolfpack, including playing with his brother and current Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Thayer Thomas. He was increasingly productive throughout his career. He finished with 292 tackles, including 46 for loss, 19 sacks, and four interceptions. Thomas went undrafted in the 203 NFL Draft and signed with the Las Vegas Raiders as an undrafted free agent. After being waived by the Raiders during final cuts, the Seahawks claimed him off waivers. During his rookie season, he played in eight games before being placed on injured reserve in November.
Despite his size, Thomas is a throwback middle linebacker who would play inside as the MIKE defender in Macdonald’s defense. With his lack of speed, he’s likely an early down player moving forward with special teams capabilities, which could still be a valuable asset for the Seahawks.
Back to full health after a significant injury, Thomas thrives during training camp and the preseason during all phases and pushes one of Tyrell Dodson or Jerome Baker for a starting spot. At the very least, his play in the running game forces Macdonald to play him on early downs and he stuns as a contributor on defense for the Seahawks in 2024.
Clear size and athleticism limitations become a major hindrance for Thomas, especially coming off injury, and expose him in coverage on obvious passing downs. He gets pushed by the likes of Patrick O’Connell and Eason Gibbs for his roster spot and ultimately doesn’t return on the practice squad after being released in late August.
Bringing him in for a top-30 visit before the 2023 draft, the Seahawks liked Thomas enough to not just claim him off waivers, but also played him right away on special teams upon arrival last season. He showed some nice ability on kick and punt coverage, but he only got five snaps on defense with three coming in his final game before an injury ended his season prematurely.
Going into 2024, Thomas has a chance to thrive under Macdonald’s leadership in a linebacker room that has a significant amount of questions if he’s healthy enough to compete. But he has yet to practice this spring and that makes his situation a bit more murky. Offering significant special teams experience, Thomas has enough talent to make the 53-man roster, but it won’t be without a fight and will be health permitting.
Previous 90-Man Roundups
Buddha Jones | Devin Richardson | TaMerik Williams | Rason Williams II | Ro Torrence | Nathan Pickering | Dee Williams | Devere Levelston | Kobe Lewis | Sunny Anderson | Mike Novitsky | Max Pincher | Easton Gibbs | Hayden Hatten | Garret Greenfield| Carlton Johnson| Matt Gotel |George Holani | Cody White | Ty Okada
Olympians Hilary Knight, Kendall Coyne Schofield and Erin Ambrose have all been placed on long-term injured reserve by their PWHL clubs after sustaining injuries during the Milan Cortina Games.
Kraken sign forwards Ben Meyers, Ryan Winterton to extensions
Knight, a five-time Olympian and captain of the United States team that won gold, will be out of the lineup for the Seattle Torrent indefinitely after sustaining a lower-body injury in Italy, the team announced Friday.
Knight had three goals and three assists for the U.S. at Milan Cortina including a goal in the 2-1 overtime win over Canada in the final. She has three goals and seven assists during the current PWHL season.
USA comes back to beat Canada in OT for women’s hockey gold
“While we’re eager to be at full strength and recognize the anticipation of Hilary’s return, we’re focused on putting her and our team in the best position for a playoff push,” Torrent general manager Meghan Turner said in a statement.
Minnesota Frost captain Coyne Schofield was placed on long-term injured reserve on Friday retroactive to Feb. 19 with an upper-body injury. Coyne Schofield scored three goals for the United States during the Olympics.
“I am incredibly proud of all our Frost Olympians who demonstrated true excellence on the world stage,” general manager Melissa Caruso said in a statement. “We are fully committed to supporting Kendall throughout her recovery, and our medical team will be working diligently to help her prepare for her return to the ice.”
The moves by the Torrent and Frost came a day after the Montreal Victoire announced that Ambrose has been placed on long-term injured reserve retroactive to Feb. 19 for a lower‑body injury suffered while representing Canada in the gold medal game. Ambrose had a pair of assists at the Olympics.
The Victoire’s Marie-Philip Poulin, Canada’s captain in Italy, was listed as day-to-day with an Olympics-related injury.
Victoire general manager Daniele Sauvageau said of the team’s Olympians “we are confident that they will be back in the lineup in the near future.”
PWHL influence apparent at Olympics with OT medal games
SEATTLE — Firefighters are responding to a car that drove into a ditch near Lake Washington Boulevard East and East Foster Island Road on Friday, according to the Seattle Fire Department.
Crews arriving at the scene reported that three people are trapped inside the car.
Firefighters were working to stabilize the car and get everyone out safely. Crews worked to remove the roof of the car to get everyone out, according to fire officials.
Authorities are urging the public to avoid the area while emergency crews respond.
The crash occurred in the area between the Montlake and Broadmoor neighborhoods, and traffic can be expected as emergency crews respond.
No additional information was immediately available.
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Dylan Holloway had a hat trick and added an assist in his return from a sprained ankle, Joel Hofer made 23 saves and the St. Louis Blues came off the Olympic break to beat the Seattle Kraken 5-1 on Thursday night.
St. Louis Blues 5, Seattle Kraken 1: Box score
Jordan Kyrou and Holloway — activated from injured reserve before the game — scored in a 23-second span early in the second period to give St. Louis a 3-1 lead.
Pius Suter added a goal and two assists to help the Blues end a three-game losing streak.
Holloway completed St. Louis’ first hat trick of the season with 3:01 left, scoring into an empty net for his 11th of the season.
Kaapo Kakko tied it at 1 for Seattle in the first period, and Philipp Grubauer stopped 26 shots. The Kraken were coming off a 4-1 loss in Dallas on Wednesday night.
Kyrou made it 2-1 at 1:12 of the second off a feed from Pavel Buchnevich on a break. Holloway poked the puck past Grubauer off a scramble at 1:35. Suter scored at 1:56 of the third.
St. Louis’ Cam Fowler appeared in his 1,100th game, becoming the 10th active defenseman in the NHL to reach the mark.
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Blues: Host New Jersey on Saturday.
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