Seahawks place J.D. McKissic on injured reserve, claim LB Jermaine Grace

Seattle Seahawks v Jacksonville Jaguars

RENTON -- The Seahawks placed running back J.D. McKissic on injured reserve and claimed former Cleveland Browns linebacker Jermaine Grace off waivers on Monday.

McKissic has been out the last couple of weeks after sustaining a foot injury that was a reported to be a Jones fracture. With McKissic moving to injured reserve, it will make him ineligible to play for the first eight games of the 2018 season. He can enter a two-week practice period after six weeks and return after eight if Seattle elects to use one of its two return from injured reserve designations on McKissic.

Seattle still has four running backs on its active roster - Chris Carson, Rashaad Penny, Mike Davis and C.J. Prosise - to carry the workload in McKissic's absence. The move indicates that McKissic's injury was going to take enough time to heal that it wasn't worth trying to get by with him taking up an active roster spot.

The move of McKissic to injured reserve had to wait until Monday or he would have been ineligible to return this season. Quarterback Austin Davis, tackle Jamarco Jones, defensive end Erik Walden and cornerback Byron Maxwell were all placed on injured reserve on Saturday and cannot return to the team this season through return designations. 

McKissic scored Seattle's only rushing touchdown by a running back in 2017. He gained 187 yards on 46 carries and caught 34 passes for 266 yards and two touchdowns last year.

Grace, 24, appeared in 11 games last season for the Atlanta Falcons and Indianapolis Colts after entering the league as an undrafted free agent. The Browns claimed Grace off waivers from Indianapolis in May before being waived on Sunday.

Practice squad announced:

The Seahawks took to the practice field on Monday for the first time since cuts came down over the weekend. Their 10-man practice squad was on the field as well taking part in the workouts. Many of the players on the squad had been with Seattle in training camp, but others were new additions to the team.

The group includes: quarterback Alex McGough, wide receivers Caleb Scott and Keenan Reynolds, running back Lavon Coleman, guard Jordan Roos, tackle Elijah Nkansah, tight end Marcus Lucas, cornerback Akeem King, linebacker Antwione Williams and defensive tackle Frank Herron.

McGough, Scott, Reynolds, Roos and King were all with the team in training camp. Lucas has previously spent time on Seattle's practice squad in prior seasons. Coleman played college football at the University of Washington and was an undrafted free agent signing of the Houston Texans in May.

A practice squad is the most fluid part of a team's roster and should be expected to change frequently throughout the season.

Photo Credit: JACKSONVILLE, FL - DECEMBER 10: J.D. McKissic #21 of the Seattle Seahawks runs with the football during the second half of their game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at EverBank Field on December 10, 2017 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)


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