97 Poona Ford DT

Ford signed a two-year deal with the Seahawks on Tuesday, Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times reports.

Ford was set to be a restricted free agent but will return to the Seahawks for his fourth professional season. He logged a career-high 670 defensive snaps in 2020, which led to 40 tackles and two sacks. He projects to start at defensive tackle for Seattle in 2021. According to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, the deal is worth up to $14 million.

Ford suffered a calf injury during Saturday's playoff loss to the Rams, Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic reports.

The 25-year-old had four tackles (three solo) before suffering the injury during the second half. The specifics of the injury remain unclear, but Ford will now have the entire offseason to recover. Ford started all 16 regular-season games for Seattle this season and had 40 tackles (25 solo), two sacks and one forced fumble.

Ford (calf) was back at practice Monday, Curtis Crabtree of Sports Radio 950 KJR Seattle reports.

Ford missed about a week of practice time while dealing with the calf issue and was back to first-team reps Monday. The 24-year-old filled a starting role last season and racked up 32 tackles (21 solo), and he's expected to reprise it in 2020 with little competition behind him.

Ford (calf) is expected to return to practice Monday, Brady Henderson of ESPN.com reports.

Ford missed nearly a full week of practice, but head coach Pete Carroll believes the third-year pro will be back on the field soon. With little competition behind him, Ford appears locked into a starting role in 2020 and could see an uptick in snaps -- he averaged 34.5 per game last season.

Ford (undisclosed) didn't participate in Tuesday's practice, Brady Henderson of ESPN.com reports.

Head coach Pete Carroll hasn't elaborated on Ford's potential injury, but the third-year defensive tackle missed a second straight practice. Ford has all but locked up a starting role for the 2020 season, and since he's still watching practice from the sidelines, there's no major concern about his availability in Week 1.

Ford, who made six tackles over two playoff games, finished the 2019 season with 32 tackles and 0.5 sacks over 15 regular-season games.

Ford exceeded last year's 21-tackle total. The second-year defensive tackle started 14 of 15 contests, and he averaged 34.5 defensive snaps per game. Ford's usage was bumped up in the postseason with a 66-percent snap share. The 24-year-old will be under contract for the 2020 season at a cap hit of $662,558, and he'll compete for a starting role again even if the Seahawks add to their defensive front during the offseason.

Ford generated three tackles -- 1.5 for a loss -- 0.5 sacks and a fumble recovery in Monday's 27-24 win over the 49ers.

The second-year pro now has 21 tackles through nine games, matching the 2018 total he produced over 11 contests. The defensive tackle consistently records around a 50-percent snap share, but Ford has yet to surpass three stops in a contest, making him an unappealing fantasy performer.

Ford (calf) will play in Sunday's game versus the Saints, John Boyle of the Seahawks' official site reports.

Ford missed Week 2's game versus the Steelers, but he's ready to return to his starting defensive tackle job. He's not a pass-rushing presence and made just two solo tackles in the season opener, so his IDP upside is limited. However, he'll be instrumental in slowing down Alvin Kamara and the Saints' duo of dual-threat quarterbacks -- Teddy Bridgewater and Taysom Hill.

Ford (calf) was officially listed as inactive for Sunday's clash against Pittsburgh.

Ford was considered doubtful heading into the contest, so his inclusion on the inactives list doesn't come as a surprise. Now that he's officially been ruled out, Bryan Mone is again expected to get the start at defensive tackle, with Quinton Jefferson and Branden Jackson filling in as well.

Ford (calf) is listed as doubtful for Sunday's game versus the Steelers, John Boyle of the Seahawks' official site reports.

Ford's expected absence likely means undrafted rookie Bryan Mone will start at defensive tackles with no natural backups. As a result, the Seahawks will likely bump Quinton Jefferson and Branden Jackson to the inside.

Ford (calf) didn't participate in Wednesday's practice, Gregg Bell of The Tacoma News Tribune reports.

Coach Pete Carroll hasn't ruled out Ford for Sunday's game versus the Steelers, but the team is exercising caution with their starting defensive tackle. The team has limited depth at the position, however, and undrafted rookie Bryan Mone may be inserted into a starting role if Ford can't go.

Ford suffered a calf injury during Sunday's game versus the Bengals and is week-to-week, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Ford started at defensive tackle for the season opener and was impressive while making two solo tackles. He's trending toward being unable to play Week 2 versus the Steelers, which would leave the Seahawks' defensive front depleted. If that's the case, Bryan Mone may start at defensive tackle unless the team decides to deploy either Quinton Jefferson or Rasheem Green on the inside.

Coach Pete Carroll said Ford will have a chance to start on the defensive line next year, Andy Patton of USA Today reports. "Poona had a great finish to the season," Carroll said. "Poona is legitimately going to play for starting time when we come back, and he'll be competing to do that."

According to Pro Football Focus, Ford was the top run-stopping defensive tackle over the final five weeks of the season. The undrafted rookie made 17 tackles (nine solo) in that span. His promising potential could make him an early-down asset for the Seahawks, who ranked 13th in the league in run defense in 2018.