Auburn's Wesley Steiner celebrates with a coach after the Tigers made a defensive stop against Penn State on a third-down play at Beaver Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 18, 2021. Dan Rainville via Imagn Content Services, LLC

Seahawks sign former WSU Cougars linebacker as fullback

Originally posted on Seattle Seahawks on SI
By Connor Benintendi | Last updated Aug 14, 2025 2:40 PM ET

Continuing to pull from the pool of local college talent, the Seattle Seahawks signed former Washington State Cougars linebacker Wesley Steiner on Thursday, the team announced. He will play fullback for the team.

Seattle waived linebacker Michael Dowell, who was signed on Aug. 4, to make room on the 90-man roster. Dowell has had multiple stints with the team dating back to last season.

Steiner, an undrafted rookie, played four seasons at Auburn from 2020-23, starting seven games for the Tigers during that span and compiling 87 tackles and three tackles for loss. He transferred to WSU for the 2024 season but mostly appeared on special teams for the Cougars.

The 6-foot-1, 242-pound former linebacker totaled just 11 tackles, one tackle for loss and a forced fumble in 13 games with WSU last season. The Seahawks, however, seem to believe he has the proper skill set to move to fullback.

Steiner joining the fullback room creates even more confusion around tight-end-turned-fullback Brady Russell's role with the team and whether he will stick on the 53-man roster this season. To this point, projected starter Robbie Ouzts and Russell have been the only listed fullbacks on the Seahawks' 90-man roster.

Russell only got reps at fullback in Seattle's preseason-opening tie against the Las Vegas Raiders, and he wasn't listed at tight end in the team's first unofficial depth chart last week.

A third player in the competition indicates the coaching staff may not be confident in Russell as a backup option to Ouzts, and he could either be further out on the roster bubble or making a change back to tight end.

Regardless, Steiner has a chance to stick at least on the practice squad if he can make the position switch. Ouzts is a shoo-in as the starter at this point, but the team will want a secondary player they could potentially activate on game days if injuries arise.

This article first appeared on Seattle Seahawks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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