After being added to the 53-man roster on Saturday off injured reserve, Dareke Young will make his 2023 debut for the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, earning the nod over former second-round pick Dee Eskridge to play against the Commanders.
Young, a seventh-round selection out of Lenoir Rhyne in 2022, missed Seattle's first eight games after undergoing hernia surgery in September. Emerging as a core special teams player as a rookie last season with seven tackles, he likely will jump right back into the mix on kick and punt coverage teams along with seeing a handful of snaps on offense behind DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and Jake Bobo.
Limited to kick return duty and one carry for negative five yards in his first two games coming off a suspension, Eskridge has continued to disappoint in his third season. With Smith-Njigba and Bobo enjoying stellar rookie seasons and Young offering far more in the special teams department, it's easy to see why he was the odd man out to suit up for the Seahawks against the Commanders.
While Young will be in uniform after being activated on Saturday, the same can't be said for rookie running back Kenny McIntosh, whose team debut will have to wait at least another week with veteran DeeJay Dallas good to go after banging his shoulder in a loss to Baltimore last Sunday. With three healthy backs available and tackle Jason Peters dressing as a practice squad elevation, the team prioritized Young for his special teams talents to be active.
Rounding out Seattle's inactives list, with Peters serving as the backup for Charles Cross and Stone Forsythe, undrafted rookies McClendon Curtis and Raiqwon O'Neal will be healthy scratches. At the guard spot, after being ruled out on Friday, rookie guard Anthony Bradford won't be available, leaving Jake Curhan as the primary backup behind starters Damien Lewis and Phil Haynes.
On defense, defensive end Myles Adams will be held out for a second straight week as the odd man out following the arrival of Leonard Williams at the trade deadline. With veterans Jarran Reed, Mario Edwards, and Dre'Mont Jones ahead of him on the depth chart, the team opted not to keep 3-tech defenders active.
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