Originally published Saturday, February 28, 2009 at 12:00 AM

Receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh visits Seahawks

Free-agent receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh toured Qwest Field during a Seattle for a visit with the Seahawks on Friday.

By Danny O'Neil

Seattle Times staff reporter

PREV of NEXT

GREGORY SHAMUS / GETTY IMAGES

T.J. Houshmandzadeh is one of the top receiver targets available in free agency.

Vote

Do you think the Seahawks should sign T.J. Houshmandzadeh? ( polls)

The Seahawks put T.J. Houshmandzadeh's name up in lights during a tour of Qwest Field on Friday.

That was just a part of their campaign to get Houshmandzadeh put his name on a free-agent contract

On the first full day of free agency, the Seahawks hosted Houshmandzadeh, 31, one of the best wide receivers available this offseason, and prepared to wave goodbye to a running back they've had the past seven years.

Seattle appears on the brink of losing Maurice Morris, who reached an agreement on a three-year deal with Detroit, according to a report on the league's Web site. Morris' agent did not return phone calls.

The departure of Morris, who was chosen in the second round of the 2002 draft, would not be a surprise. Seattle signed Julius Jones and T.J. Duckett last year, committing money to a change of direction in the backfield. Morris and Jones shared time this past season, while Morris started six games and rushed for 574 yards. He got an increased share of the workload late in the season after Jones lost his grip on the job because of fumbles.

Seattle was not expected to be one of the more aggressive teams in free agency, but pushed to the forefront by pursuing one of the top receivers available.

Houshmandzadeh said in a telephone interview with ESPN that he was also interested in Minnesota, the New York Giants and Philadelphia, though he also said he did not know if those teams were interested in him.

Houshmandzadeh played the past eight seasons with Cincinnati after being drafted out of Oregon State. He has caught 90 or more passes in three successive seasons, with a career high of 112 passes in 2007.

Seahawks president Tim Ruskell indicated last week that the team planned to deepen its receiver group to avoid a repeat of the injury epidemic that hobbled the Seahawks' offense in the first month of the 2008 season.

Notes

• Free-agent DE Chris Canty of Dallas is scheduled to visit the Seahawks on Monday, according to his agent.

• DT Rocky Bernard visited the New York Giants on Friday, according to the Newark Star-Ledger.

Danny O'Neil: 206-464-2364 or doneil@seattletimes.com

More Seahawks headlines...

Print Share: Digg Newsvine