Seahawks bring in Devin Hester for postseason

By AP
Published

RENTON, Wash. (AP) The Seattle Seahawks appear to be adding kick returner Devin Hester to their roster for the postseason.

Fox Sports reported Tuesday night that Hester was signing with Seattle for the playoffs. Hester posted a photo of his locker inside the Seahawks locker room to Instagram on Tuesday night and the message ''I guess God has another chapter in my book of life.''

The Seahawks are expected to finalize the signing on Wednesday.

Hester played 14 games for Baltimore this season before being released in December. He is the third-leading punt returner in NFL history and was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2006, 2007, 2010 and 2014. He has an NFL-record 20 touchdowns on kick returns.

But his time in Baltimore was cut short. Signed as a free agent following offseason toe surgery, Hester returned only 25 punts and fumbled four times with the Ravens. The 34-year-old Hester often let the ball drop instead of making a fair catch. After he failed to field a punt early in a Monday night's game against New England, the ball was downed at the 1-yard line and the Patriots got a safety on the next play.

Seattle's need for a return man emerged when Tyler Lockett suffered a broken leg in the Week 16 loss to Arizona. Seattle used a mix of players in the regular season finale against San Francisco, including cornerback Richard Sherman as a punt returner.

Seattle rookie Tyvis Powell appeared to be released to make room for Hester. There was no confirmation, but Powell posted a message to Twitte r thanking the team for giving him an ''opportunity to live my childhood dream. I'm forever grateful for that.''

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