The Seahawks Thursday signed free agent long snapper Drew Ferris, a University of Florida product with no NFL experience, to compete for a position held for the past six years by Clint Gresham, released last week in a salary dump. Ferris spent time in mini- camp last year with the New York Jets, but did not stick.
Ferris joins Andrew East as candidates to take over for Gresham, who snapped in the past 96 regular-season games for Seattle. East was signed to a futures contract in January. East spent time in Kansas City’s training camp last summer.
The Seahawks signed Gresham to a three-year contract prior to the 2015 season at $2.7 million. The deal would have counted $860,000 against Seattle’s 2016 salary cap, and the Seahawks decided they could make do with less.
Ferris becomes the fourth player that Seattle added in free agency. The others are offensive linemen J’Marcus Webb and Bradley Sowell, as well as defensive tackle Sealver Siliga. Webb has a shot to become Seattle’s starting right tackle.
SEAHAWKS FREE AGENT TRACKER
Unrestricted free agents retained
| Date | Player | Pos. | ’15 Salary | New Deal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 9 | Ahtyba Rubin | DL | 2.6M | 3 years, $12M, $5.5M guaranteed |
| Mar 9 | Jeremy Lane | CB | 660K | 4 years, $23M, $11M guaranteed |
| Mar 10 | Jermaine Kearse | WR | 2.3M | 3 years, $13.5M, $6.3M guaranteed |
| Mar 11 | Jon Ryan | P | 1.5M | 4 years, $10M (1M annual raise) |
| Mar 16 | Christine Michael | RB | 208K | 1 year, $725,000 (base $675,000) |
| Mar 19 | Mike Morgan | LB | 750K | Contract details not yet disclosed |
Unrestricted free agents lost
| Date | Player | Pos | New Team | New Deal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 9 | Bruce Irvin | LB | Raiders | 5 years, $37M, $19M guaranteed |
| Mar 9 | Brandon Mebane | DT | Chargers | 3 years, $13.5M, $5.5M guaranteed |
| Mar 9 | J.R. Sweezy | G | Bucs | 5 years, $32.5M |
| Mar 9 | Ricardo Lockette | WR | None | Seahawks declined to offer, now FA |
| Mar 16 | Russell Okung | LT | Broncos | 5 years, $53 million |
Remaining unrestricted free agents
| Date | Player | Pos. | ’15 Salary | 2015 Season/Skinny |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| —– | Tarvaris Jackson | QB | 1.3M | 33 in April, mopped up in 4 games |
| —– | Will Tukuafu | FB | 745K | 14 games, 1 touchdown |
| —– | Demarcus Dobbs | DE | 745K | 11 games, no starts |
| —– | Fred Jackson | RB | 870K | 16 games, 2 rec. TDs |
Unrestricted free agents added
| Date | Player | Pos. | ’15 Team | New Deal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 14 | Bradley Sowell | OL | Cardinals | 1 year for $1.5M |
| Mar 14 | Sealver Siliga | DL | Patriots | 1 year for $1.4M |
| Mar 15 | J’Marcus Webb | OL | Raiders | 2 years, $6.25M, $2.5M guaranteed |
| Mar 24 | Drew Ferris | LS | No NFL | Details not yet available |
Restricted free agents
| Date | Player | Pos. | ’15 Salary | New Deal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 7 | Patrick Lewis | C | 585K | Tendered $1.67M |
| Mar 7 | Cooper Helfet | TE | 510K | Tendered $600,000 |
| Mar 9 | Alvin Bailey | G | 585K | Received no offer; signed with CLE. |
| Mar 9 | Derrick Coleman | FB | 585K | Seahawks declined to offer, now FA |
| —– | Nick Moody | LB | 413K | 3 games, no starts |
Exclusive rights free agents
| Date | Player | Pos. | ’15 Salary | Skinny |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 6 | Eric Pinkins | LB | 180K | Tendered; agreed March 15 |
| Mar 7 | DeShawn Shead | DB | 660K | Tendered $760,000 |
| Mar 8 | Marcus Burley | CB | 510K | Tendered $600,000 |
| Mar 8 | A.J. Francis | DT | 6.6K | Tendered $600,000, signed |
| Mar 8 | Jesse Williams | DT | 393K | Waived; never played |
| Mar 9 | Steven Terrell | CB | 600K | Tendered |
| Mar 9 | Moh. Seisay | CB | 333K | Tendered |
Additional transactions
March 15: Released long snapper Clint Gresham, who had been with the Seahawks since 2010. Gresham had signed a three-year, $2.7 million contract extension a year ago and his release will save $660,000 against the cap in 2016.