Shaquem Griffin is back with the Seahawks, 18 more clear waivers, new LB signed, CB waived
Shaquem Griffin is returning to the Seahawks, as if he never left.
The backup linebacker and edge rusher cleared NFL waivers Sunday according to the league’s official transactions. He’s on his way to signing back with the team’s practice squad.
Seattle put him on waivers Saturday among its final preseason roster cuts.
The facts Griffin is the twin, the roommate and the soul mate of Seahawks Pro Bowl cornerback Shaquill Griffin, who is entering the final season of his contract, plus Shaquem being the first one-handed player drafted into the modern NFL makes this more than a routine waiver and practice-squad transaction.
The Griffins called starting together in Seattle’s 2018 opener at Denver “what you dream about.”
Now that he’s cleared waivers, Shaquem Griffin not only could be signed back onto the practice squad this week but possibly onto the active roster for next weekend’s opener at Atlanta.
Griffin’s speed is his biggest asset though he remains unproven as a pass rusher and linebacker. He could not have come back to the practice squad if 2019 roster rules were in effect. But the coronavirus pandemic has changed the league’s roster rules for this season.
It’s still true that players who are not vested veterans, those with fewer than four years of NFL service time, are the only ones eligible for waivers. But NFL practice squads have gone from 10 to a maximum of 16 players this season. That’s because of COVID-19 and the possibility of needing more players to back-fill any on the 53-man active roster who may test positive for the virus during game weeks.
Six of those 16 practice-squad players npw can be veterans of any experience. Previously, only players with fewer than two accrued seasons of service time were eligible to sign onto any team’s practice squad. Under the old, pre-pandemic roster rules, Griffin as a three-year veteran would not have been eligible for the practice squad and would as of Sunday have been shopping to all teams as an unrestricted free agent without much more than special-team experience to get another job.
Also new this season: each team can add two players from its practice squad onto the active roster to expand it to a maximum of 55 players for any game. The Seahawks could sign Griffin to the practice squad in the next day or two then, if they want to use him as a situational edge rusher against former NFL most valuable player Matt Ryan and the Falcons in Atlanta in the opener, they could sign him to the active roster for that game.
The Seahawks don’t have a need nor place for Griffin at strongside linebacker, the position he played for his first 2 1/2 seasons in the NFL with Seattle.
Bruce Irvin signed back to the team this offseason. Coach Pete Carroll says the 32-year-old veteran he drafted for Seattle in the first round in 2012 is the best and most athletic strongside linebacker he’s had in his decade leading the Seahawks. When coaches eventually move rookie first-round pick Jordyn Brooks into the base 4-3 defense, they have the option of moving 10th-year veteran K.J. Wright to strongside, which he played some in his first seasons with the team, and Brooks to Wright’s usual weakside spot next to All-Pro middle linebacker Bobby Wagner.
Plus, on Sunday the Seahawks claimed pass-rushing linebacker D’Andre Walker off waivers from Tennessee. The 6-foot-2, 251-pound former Georgia Bulldog was the Titans’ fifth-round pick in 2019. He missed his entire rookie season on injured reserve.
Carroll and defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr. began trying Griffin on the line as a situational rush end on passing downs late last season. His speed was disruptive in that role, which is more like the one in which he starred at the University of Central Florida. The Griffin twins combined for Shaquem’s first career sack on a key third down late in Seattle’s narrow playoff loss at Green Bay in January.
There were smiles throughout the press box in Lambeau Field, even from media that covers the Packers, when that play happened.
Stephens waived
To make room on the 53-man active roster, the Seahawks waived cornerback Linden Stephens. They had signed him off waivers from Miami this offseason.
If Stephens clears waivers Monday, he could also return by joining the practice squad.
Also clearing waivers
The Seahawks had 18 additional players clear waivers Sunday. All are eligible to join their practice squad, though not all will. Seattle can sign players from across the league who cleared waivers Sunday onto its 16-man practice squad.
Rookie seventh-round pick Stephen Sullivan, the tight end from LSU with a remarkable story getting to the NFL, cleared waivers. He was the only rookie draft choice the Seahawks waived. He’s likely to be on the team’s practice squad.
The other players Seattle waived Saturday who went unclaimed: rookie quarterback Anthony Gordon from Washington State, rookie wide receiver Aaron Fuller from the University of Washington, offensive tackle Tommy Champion, defensive tackle Demarcus Christmas, quarterback Danny Etling, wide receiver Penny Hart, cornerback Gavin Heslop, defensive tackle P.J. Johnson, defensive tackle Cedrick Lattimore, wide receiver Lance Lenoir, rookie tight end Tyler Mabry, rookie safety Chris Miller, cornerback Ryan Neal, cornerback Debione Renfro, cornerback Jayson Stanley, wide receiver Cody Thompson and offensive tackle Chad Wheeler.
Of those, Fuller, Thompson, Miller and Mabry had the most impressive training camps. Fuller, Thompson and Etling, formerly of the Patriots and Falcons who signed later in camp, were among the first reportedly signing to Seattle’s practice squad.
Practice-squad import
The Seahawks will have at least one import on their practice squad: former Eagles defensive tackle Anthony Rush, Terez Paylor of Yahoo Sports reported Sunday.
Defensive tackle is one of the Seahawks’ thinnest position. Only eight defensive linemen were on the team’s initial 53-man roster for the regular season. Seattle rotates through eight defensive linemen on the first series of many games.
This story was originally published September 6, 2020, 11:16 AM.
