Big day for new Seahawks CB Neiko Thorpe Tharold Simon claimed by Cardinals; Will Tukuafu brought back for 'veteran experience'

Cornerback Neiko Thorpe of the Oakland Raiders leaves the field after the game against the Kansas City Chiefs at O.co Coliseum on Dec. 6, 2015 in Oakland, California. The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Oakland Raiders 34-20. less Cornerback Neiko Thorpe of the Oakland Raiders leaves the field after the game against the Kansas City Chiefs at O.co Coliseum on Dec. 6, 2015 in Oakland, California. The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Oakland ... more Photo: Jason O. Watson/Getty Images Photo: Jason O. Watson/Getty Images Image 1 of / 6 Caption Close Big day for new Seahawks CB Neiko Thorpe 1 / 6 Back to Gallery

RENTON -- Tuesday was a big day for new Seahawks cornerback Neiko Thorpe.

Thorpe, 26, started a new chapter in his NFL career after a whirlwind couple of weeks, signing with Seattle seven days after being cut by the Indianapolis Colts and just 10 days removed from being released by the Oakland Raiders. But that wasn't the most exciting news on the day.

What could top joining the Seahawks secondary? How about welcoming his new daughter Nora into the world after she was born Tuesday in Oakland?

"That's a big day right there, yes sir," Thorpe said in the Seahawks locker room at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center on Wednesday. "A day to remember."

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A 6-foot-2 and 198 pounds, Thorpe -- wearing the jersey No. 27 that until yesterday belonged to Tharold Simon -- looked a lot like the 6-foot-2, 202-pound Simon on the VMAC practice fields Wednesday.

An undrafted rookie out of Auburn in 2012 who spent the 2013 season in the Canadian Football League, Thorpe said it was "an honor" to join Seattle's star-studded "Legion of Boom" secondary, but knows he'll make his living on special teams.

"Special teams opened up doors for me to be in this league thus far, so I never take special teams for granted," he said. "Anybody ever asks me who I am, I tell them I'm a (defensive back) and I play on special teams."

"We had a chance to pick up a guy we thought could help us more on special teams, and we also saw that Neiko can play corner," head coach Pete Carroll said on Wednesday. "We got good looks at him. We've seen him over the years and thought that he would help us."

Simon, 25, was claimed by the division-rival Arizona Cardinals on Wednesday. The 2013 fifth-round pick appeared in just 11 regular-season games with Seattle, registering 18 total tackles, four passes defended and an interception.

Signing Thorpe and releasing Simon were just two of several roster moves the Seahawks executed on Tuesday, which also included bringing back veteran fullback Will Tukuafu and waiving rookie fullback/defensive tackle Taniela Tupou.

"We're going to bank on his experience," Carroll said of Tukuafu. "He's been with us and he's been through a lot. In protection, route running and just all of the things that position calls for. We took a look at a young guy last week knowing that Will might be there for us and we'd want to go with the experience."

Bringing Tukuafu back one week into the season -- and just 10 days after releasing him in final cuts -- also means his 2016 salary isn't fully guaranteed in the event of injury.

Running back Thomas Rawls was pumped to get the hard-hitting Tukuafu back in the fold.

"Oh my God. Big Will is back. I'm so excited," Rawls said on Wednesday. "I just cannot stop thinking about him because you know when he gets in the game he breaks like three to four facemasks a game. So I'm excited he's back in that backfield, man."

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