The Seattle Seahawks waived linebacker/defensive end Shaquem Griffin on Saturday in order to get down to the 53-man roster limit. Seattle gambled he would go unclaimed and could be added back to the practice squad. It was a risk that paid off in the end.

“We want him on our team, so we were fortunate to get that done,” coach Pete Carroll said during his Monday afternoon press conference. “You can see that this was not the year that people were claiming, so it worked out well for us.”

One of the changes under the collective bargaining agreement is the ability to bring up two players from the practice squad each week for the game-day roster. Those players can then return to the practice squad the next day without having to clear waivers. Each player can be called up twice per season.

Griffin is entering his third year in the NFL but is somewhat stuck behind the very deep linebacking corps that includes some of the best in the league. He could get a chance to prove himself sooner than later.

“He’s a good ballplayer. He had a really good camp, worked hard the whole time, but just the way that the roster turned out this time, this was where he had to start,” Carroll continued. “He’ll be ready to play in Week 1, 2 or 3. Whenever we get rolling, he’ll be ready.”