Seahawks weren't surprised by Cody White's strong debut after practice squad call-up

SEATTLE, Wash. — (AP) - When his opportunity finally came, Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Cody White made sure it didn’t pass him by.

Playing in his first NFL game in nearly two years after getting called up from the Seahawks’ practice squad, White made a strong impression on his coaches and teammates on Sunday with a blocked punt and two receptions for 44 yards in Seattle’s 26-20 loss to the Los Angeles Rams.

White’s block against Rams punter Ty Zentner gave the Seahawks the ball at the Rams 19-yard line with 8:44 remaining.

Regardless of the outcome of the game, the Seahawks were thrilled for White. He was moved to the active roster in place of DK Metcalf, who missed his second consecutive game with an MCL sprain.

Since he signed with the Seahawks last October, the 6-foot-3, 225-pound White has impressed coaches and teammates with his work in practice.

“We expected that from Cody,” quarterback Geno Smith said. “We’ve said that all camp. He’s been doing that since he got here. Hard worker, one of the hardest workers on the team. He deserves it. He deserves to go out there and make those plays. He’s always prepared. He knows what to do.”

White saw action in two seasons with Pittsburgh after a standout college career at Michigan State. He went undrafted in the 2020 and spent time with Kansas City, the New York Giants and Denver before signing with the Steelers.

White totaled six catches for 35 yards over 16 games between 2021 and 2022 for the Steelers, who released him last August. He didn’t get into any games for the Seahawks in 2023, but stayed ready.

White was thrilled when he and Smith connected for his long-awaited first Seahawks reception.

“Shoot, since I stepped into the building,” White said. “Every opportunity that I’ve been able to get, I feel like I’ve done a great job with it. So just keep stacking that and then try to figure out a way where I can provide and also go out there and help the team get some wins.”

Along with his two catches in the fourth quarter, a 28-yarder and a 16-yarder, it was the blocked punt that alerted Seahawks fans to White’s talents. White credited a block from Jake Bobo and the plan set forth by special teams coordinator Jay Harbaugh for getting him into a spot to make the play.

“They just told me what to do on the sideline, and I went in there and figured it out and was able to get a block,” White said. “I practiced that every day in practice, so I felt like I was pretty prepared for the moment.”

White’s initial stay on the active roster wasn’t a long one — the Seahawks reverted him to the practice squad on Monday. But as Seattle has seen with players such as cornerback Josh Jobe, who has gotten the majority of the snaps in place of the injured Tre Brown the past several weeks, a few solid games could lead to a player like White getting more regular playing time.

“Glad that he had an opportunity to show what he had to do,” coach Mike Macdonald said. “Guys were fired up for him. It shows the depth we have on our football team. Like I said, we have the right guys, just having an opportunity. This guy plays extremely hard.”

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