Seahawks place top 2021 draft pick D’Wayne Eskridge on IR

D’Wayne Eskridge has not played since Week 1, and the Seahawks’ top 2021 draft choice will be out for the next three games. The team moved its second-round wide receiver to IR Thursday.

This is a concerning situation for Eskridge, who suffered a concussion in his debut. The 5-foot-9 wideout played 12 snaps against the Colts but left that game with a head injury. While the Seahawks are giving him extra time to recover, Eskridge’s extensive time in the protocol has become a situation to monitor.

Despite the presences of Tyler Lockett and D.K. Metcalf, Seattle added Eskridge with the No. 56 overall pick. The Western Michigan alumnus saw action in five seasons at the mid-major program, redshirting one of those slates, and was one of college football’s top deep threats as an upperclassman. He averaged 23.3 yards per catch (33 receptions, 768 yards) and caught eight TD passes during the COVID-19-altered 2020 season, which reduced the MAC slate to six games.

The Seahawks have used Freddie Swain in an increased role in recent weeks. The 2020 sixth-round pick has two touchdown receptions thus far this season. Penny Hart resides as the fifth wideout on the Seahawks’ 53-man roster, but the team elevated former first-round pick Phillip Dorsett ahead of Thursday night’s game. Dorsett recently re-signed with the Seahawks, joining their practice squad, following his Jaguars exit.