The Seattle Seahawks made a shrewd move to add a receiver to their active roster while still keeping cornerback Shaquill Griffin with the organization ahead of Week 3. But the transaction still left the Seahawks with an open practice squad spot that the team is now filling with offensive lineman Shane Lemieux.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported Thursday the Seahawks signed Lemieux to their practice squad. The move comes three days before Seattle hosts one of the lineman’s former teams, the New Orleans Saints, during Week 3.
Lemieux played in seven games for the Saints last season. He started four of those seven contests.
The Seahawks will face the Saints at 1:05 pm PT on Sunday, September 21.
Lemieux began his career as a fifth-round pick for the New York Giants in the 2020 NFL Draft. The lineman started 12 games for the Giants over four seasons with the team.
Prior to the 2020 draft, Lemieux received rave draft reviews for his physicality.
“Barrel-chested grinder with the toughness and power to play brute ball in the trenches. Lemieux is well-known for his toughness and intelligence. He’s an experienced, well-schooled guard,” NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein wrote. “He’s athletic enough to perform in a variety of run schemes, but does his best work with combo blocks and double teams.
“Against NFL interior athletes, he will find it tougher to keep blocks centered and sustained. He should be OK as a run blocker early on, but his issues in pass protection might not be quickly fixed and could push him into the ‘good backup, eventual starter’ category.”
Seahawks Sign Shane Lemieux to Practice Squad
While the Giants drafted Lemieux at No. 150 overall in the fifth round, he was the team’s starting left guard by the midseason point of his rookie year.
Based on the Pro Football Focus player grades, Lemieux performed poorly as a rookie. But he still entered his second season as a starter. Lemieux played well, according to PFF, in Week 1 of 2021, but he left with a knee injury.
That was the beginning of terrible injury luck for the offensive lineman. Lemieux didn’t play again the rest of the 2021 season because of a patella tendon tear. During his third NFL campaign, he also only appeared in one contest because of a toe injury.
In 2023, Lemieux dressed for four contests. But in October, he suffered a torn biceps in practice. The lineman finished his third straight season on injured reserve.
Lemieux continued his career with the Saints in 2024. He didn’t make the team’s roster out of training camp but joined the Saints practice squad. He started his New Orleans debut versus the Atlanta Falcons in Week 4 last year.
What Lemieux Will Bring to Seahawks Offensive Line
The timing of Lemieux’s signing is interesting because the team will face New Orleans in Week 3. The veteran guard spent training camp with the Saints for a second consecutive year this summer.
But more than likely, the Seahawks are adding Lemieux for additional line depth as opposed to Saints offensive intel.
2024 third-round pick Christian Haynes is on injured reserve for Seattle. The Seahawks, though, aren’t dealing with any other line injuries, and Haynes wasn’t projected to be a starter during the preseason.
Lemieux will join Federico Maranges as the two interior offensive linemen on Seattle’s practice squad. The Seahawks also have offensive tackle Amari Kight on the practice squad.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Seahawks Add Tough, Powerful Lineman Days Before Saints Matchup: Report appeared first on Heavy Sports.