Seahawks bring in Justin Britt, Paul Richardson for tryouts

Los Angeles Rams v Seattle Seahawks

The Seattle Seahawks brought in a pair of familiar faces for visits on Wednesday at position groups that remain unsettled.

Center Justin Britt and wide receiver Paul Richardson were both brought in for tryouts on Wednesday, according to the league's transaction wire.

"Both guys ended their seasons with injuries, you know," head coach Pete Carroll said following their mock game practice on Wednesday. "We need to see what those guys look like. Obviously we know a lot about both of them and we think highly of both of those guys. So we'll see how it goes."

Britt was released by the Seahawks in April after spending his first six seasons with the team. Britt sustained a torn ACL last season during a win over the Atlanta Falcons and was placed on injured reserve for the remainder of the season. His release in April saved the team $8.5 million against the salary cap for the 2020 season.

Ethan Pocic, B.J. Finney and Kyle Fuller have been getting the work at center so far in training camp with Pocic seemingly the leader in the clubhouse for the job. Prior to Wednesday's mock game at CenturyLink Field, Pocic worked with Russell Wilson in pregame warmups, Fuller with backup Geno Smith, and Finney with Anthony Gordon and Danny Etling.

"He's learning the system," Carroll said of Finney. "It's just catching up and playing fast and helping the guys around him play well. Ethan has been around us a long time and he's a little bit ahead in that regard. But B.J. is going to get it done, it's just going to take a little bit of time. So we're not forcing it at him with the first group as he's learning. I want good continuity for the guards and the whole group for Russ so it's a little bit more in Ethan's favor in that regard. But we've got two full weeks to go. He's done really well. He's really applying himself. He's capable. He's going to handle it all. I didn't think we should go through his learning curve for Russ and the other fellas when we're really trying to get together on the offensive line at this point.

Richardson, a second-round pick of the Seahawks in 2014, had spent the last two seasons with the Washington Football Team. He got a five-year, $40 million deal with Washington in 2018 after a strong 2017 season with Seattle. He had 44 catches for 703 yards and six touchdowns for the Seahawks that season before hitting free agency.

Richardson was released by Washington in February after appearing in just 17 games over his two seasons with the team. In those 17 games, Richardson had 48 catches for 507 yards and four touchdowns.

A reunion with Richardson would help added depth to Seattle's receiver corps beyond Tyler Lockett and D.K. Metcalf. Phillip Dorsett, John Ursua an Cody Thompson all sat out Wednesday's mock game due to injuries, which has left the team a little short-handed.

Ursua has a minor hamstring strain from practice that kept him sidelined. Meanwhile, Dorsett is still dealing with a sore foot that Carroll said had improved today. However, he noted it is something that they will have to continue to monitor for the time being.

While Seattle has been rumored to have been interested in both Antonio Brown and Josh Gordon, suspensions could be problematic for both options. Brown has been suspended the first eight games of the season by the NFL for off-field incidents while Gordon remains indefinitely suspended by the league following substance and performance-enhancing drug policy violations last season with the Seahawks.

Photo Credit: SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - OCTOBER 03: Justin Britt #68 of the Seattle Seahawks hikes the ball during the game against the Los Angeles Rams at CenturyLink Field on October 03, 2019 in Seattle, Washington. The Seattle Seahawks top the Los Angeles Rams 30-29. (Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images)


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