RENTON, Wash. -- The Seattle Seahawks re-signed veteran tight end Luke Willson, the team announced, and also acquired cornerback John Reid in a trade with the Houston Texans, sources told ESPN on Tuesday.
A fan favorite and member of the Seahawks' 2013 Super Bowl-winning team, Willson is back for his fourth stint with Seattle. The latest reunion comes as the Seahawks deal with a pair of injuries to Colby Parkinson and Tyler Mabry, which has weakened their depth at tight end.
Both players had been out for the past two weeks because of foot injuries. On Tuesday, Mabry returned to practice, but Parkinson remained out. Coach Pete Carroll said it won't be clear for a while whether Parkinson will be ready for the Seahawks' Sept. 12 opener against the Indianapolis Colts. He's dealing with what Carroll called a "real slight" non-displaced fracture.
Parkinson has been projected as their No. 3 tight end behind Gerald Everett and Will Dissly.
Willson, who has been living and training in the Seattle area, practiced Tuesday in his usual No. 82.
The 31-year-old Willson has 111 catches for 1,307 yards and 11 touchdowns since entering the NFL as a fifth-round pick by the Seahawks in 2013. He's also spent time with the Detroit Lions, Raiders and Baltimore Ravens.
"Certain people just have more juice than others," Carroll said. "Luke has always been a great part of that for us and just one of my favorites that we've had in the program over the years."
The Seahawks have yet to announce their trade for Reid, but Carroll said after Tuesday's practice that they liked his "really good speed" as well as his versatility, having played inside and outside. Carroll said they added Reid because rookie fourth-round pick Tre Brown is day-to-day with a sore knee.
"We want to make sure we have depth and the kind of competitive speed that we need out there," the coach said.
A source confirmed to ESPN that the Seahawks released veteran cornerback Pierre Desir, who was on a minimum-salary contract that included $137,500 guaranteed. That move was tied to their trade for Reid, a fourth-round pick by Houston last year. Reid played in 13 games with one start as a rookie.
The Seahawks waived defensive end Alex Tchangam to fit Willson on the 80-man roster.
NFL Network first reported Desir's release and the trade for Reid.