After two consecutive weeks of being elevated from the practice squad, Seahawks safety Rodney Thomas II was signed to the 53-man roster on Wednesday.
"He's the guy we thought he was," head coach Mike Macdonald said. "The things we saw on tape, shoutout to our personnel staff for identifying the type of player and person that would thrive here and Rodney's (Thomas II) done a great job of coming in and working his tail off to play at a high level. Shoutout to Rodney."
Thomas has played in place of an injured Ty Okada and was on the field for every defensive snap in Week 2. He played 70 of the 71 defensive snaps in Week 1. Through two weeks, Thomas has collected four tackles and two passes defensed, one of which resulted in a Nehemiah Pritchett interception against the Patriots in the season opener.
"Yeah, Rodney (Thomas II) had some really great plays yesterday," Macdonald said at his press conference on Monday. "The play he made in the endzone on the double move on 85 was a really great play. His movement ability really shows up. I know he really wants the in-cut on third down opportunity back on the interception possibility, but I think it's like everybody. There's a lot of great stuff and then if you ask Rodney, he's hungry to improve his game and take it to another level. Again, it's the same message coming out of our first week, but we're really proud of the psyche of our team, the resilience and the stuff that makes us, us. There's also an excitement and a sense of urgency for us to be able to take our game to another level in all three phases. I think that's what you're probably the most excited about our team right now is that there's a lot of room for growth, and there's also a sense of urgency to get there, which makes me excited to get to practice on Wednesday."
The signing of Thomas to the 53-man roster is just another instance of the importance of the "Ready Squad" to the coaching staff. Their philosophy is that the practice squad is simply an extension of the roster and that any player should be ready to play at any moment.
"I love those situations where you have these guys that step up," defensive coordinator Aden Durde said about Thomas following Week 1. "We've talked about it for the last couple of years that we've been here that they just don't watch it out, he took the opportunity. You see his ability to play in the post and his ability to play from red line to red line with his speed. I thought his tackling really stood out, and he did a really good job."
That outlook makes it easy for players to just treat a practice squad elevation or signing as just another day.
"They were talking about it a bunch when I was going through the process, just how everybody just has to be ready to be called up," Thomas said. "Anything could happen at any point. So everybody has to prepare like a starter and prepare as if they are starting that week."
Thomas added, "It means the same thing for me, really. I just show up, take it play by play, just try to make something happen on Sundays."
Go behind the scenes with team photographer Rod Mar as he shares moments from the Seahawks' Week 2 win over the Arizona Cardinals.
DeMarcus Lawrence waits on the tarmac to board the charter flight to Arizona for the division game against the Cardinals.
Bright sun and temperatures above 100 degrees met the Seahawks upon their arrival in Phoenix as crews worked to unload equipment from the team's charter plane.
On gameday, Jaxon Smith-Njigba was dressed for the desert weather.
Seahawks safety Julian Love headed for the buses on the way to the game.
In the locker room, tight end AJ Barner stretched and warmed up.
Seahawks linebacker Ernest Jones IV gathered the defense around him before they left the locker room for early warmups.
Receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba shares a laugh with quarterback Drew Lock during pregame warmups.
Seahawks specialists Michael Dickson, Chris Stoll and Jason Myers on the field during pregame.
Seahawks Devon Witherspoon and Jaxon Smith-Njigba perform their handshake during pregame.
Seahawks defensive lineman Byron Murphy II fires up his position group which includes Uchenna Nwosu, Derick Hall and DeMarcus Lawrence.
Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald greets his players as they return to the locker room after pregame warmups.
Safeties Julian Love and Rodney Thomas II study at their lockers before the game.
Even on the road, 12s were in full force, with this fan urging Jaxon Smith-Njigba to score a touchdown. In response, Smith-Njigba scored three times in the victory.
Leonard Williams leads the Seahawks onto the field.
Seahawks receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba breaks away and catches a pass from Drew Lock for an 82-yard touchdown in the first quarter.
Contrasting emotions for a Cardinals fan (left) and a Seahawks fan (right) as Jaxon Smith-Njigba sails into the end zone at the end of his 82-yard touchdown.
Seahawks quarterback Drew Lock lets out a yell after connecting with Jaxon Smith-Njigba for an 82-yard touchdown strike in the first quarter.
Seahawks linebacker Dante Fowler pressures Cardinals quarterback Jacoby Brissett, resulting in a sack for teammate Leonard Williams.
Leonard Williams sacks Cardinals quarterback Jacoby Brissett.
Seattle's ferocious defense gang tackles Arizona running back Jeremiyah Love.
At halftime, with the scored tied at 7-7, head coach Mike Macdonald made adjustments with the defense.
On the offensive side of the locker room, offensive line coach John Benton talks to Grey Zabel at halftime.
Seahawks special teams standout Chazz Surratt races past the Cardinals sideline with a fumble recovery to open the second half.
Seattle's Ernest Jones IV congratulates Chazz Surratt after Surratt's heads-up play returned a fumble 38 yards to open the second half.
Seahawks safety Julian Love celebrates his interception with teammates Devon Witherspoon and DeMarcus Lawrence.
Nick Emmanwori lets out a yell after a tackle. Emmanwori returned to action for the first time this season.
Seahawks fan Polly Cocilobo shows off her support of tight end AJ Barner.
Seahawks defenders Jarran Reed, DeMarcus Lawrence and Derick Hall celebrate Reed's sack in the second half.
Seahawks running back Emanuel Wilson breaks through a huge hole provided by blocks from teammates AJ Barner and Abraham Lucas during a 16-play drive in the fourth quarter.
Seahawks tight end AJ Barner leaps to the top of the pile for a touchdown in the fourth quarter.
Seahawks quarterback Drew Lock gets a congratulatory hug from Jalen Milroe after the game.
Seahawks president of football operations/general manager John Schneider talks with receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba after Smith-Njigba's three touchdown game.
Offensive line coach John Benton is awarded a game ball by head coach Mike Macdonald after the game.
Long after his teammates had left the locker room and headed to the team buses, Jaxon Smith-Njigba stayed to sign autographs and take photos with fans.
