After just one week of training camp, the Seattle Seahawks are ready to make some changes to their defensive line.
The team announced on Wednesday that they parted ways with second-year nose tackle Justin Rogers, who had just joined the team last week and was looking to compete for a spot on the active roster. The former Dallas Cowboys draft pick is now headed to free agency, while the Seahawks have already signed his replacement.
Seahawks Waive ‘Drain-Clogging’ Nose Tackle
The Seahawks had originally signed Rogers just before the start of training camp, adding the 330-pound nose tackle to provide some depth at defensive line.
Rogers came into the NFL as a seventh-round pick last season, joining the Cowboys for training camp but missing final cuts. The Cincinnati Bengals signed him to their practice squad, where he stayed until December when the Cowboys brought him back on their active roster. Rogers was waived by the Cowboys in June.
As NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein noted in his pre-draft analysis in 2024, Rogers had a good combination of size and skill, despite some deficits in his game.
“He’s built low to the ground and plays with a terrific anchor to ward off block finishes and stay on his feet,” Zierlein wrote. “He has decent length for his size but not enough to consistently shed blocks, despite possessing the power to stack single blocks. Rogers is a drain-clogging nose capable of muddying the A-gaps for teams looking for depth and help slowing the run.”
Seahawks Add Former Ivy League Defensive Tackle
The Seahawks immediately used the roster spot vacated by Rogers, signing rookie defensive tackle Thor Griffith. As the team noted, Griffith initially came to Seattle for rookie minicamp as a tryout player and now has a chance to compete for the active roster.
“Griffith, who is 6-foot-2, 305 pounds, began his college career at Harvard where he was an All-Ivy League first-team selection as well as an AFCA and FCS Football Central second-team All-America pick after recording 55 tackles, 11 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks in 2023,” the team noted. “In his three-year career at Harvard, Griffith recorded 132 tackles, 33.5 tackles for loss and 13.5 sacks in 30 games.”
Zierlein saw some potential in Griffith, with NFL.com predicting he could grow into a bottom-of-the-roster candidate or practice squad member.
“A powerhouse interior defensive lineman, Griffith’s low-cut frame and powerful base allow for good balance through contact,” Zierlein wrote. “He has the ability to get under the blocker’s pads and reestablish the line of scrimmage when he gets into the blocker first. He lacks the mass of a run-plugging nose tackle and he’s a linear mover with below average short-area change of direction.”
The Seahawks have some question marks at defensive line as the season approaches, including whether Rylie Mills will return from a torn ACL.
“If Mills begins the year on injured reserve, that could open up a spot for 2023 fifth-round pick Mike Morris, who essentially is entering his second NFL season after missing nearly all of his rookie year with a shoulder injury,” noted Cameron Van Til of Seattle Sports.
The Seahawks are looking to lean on the trio of Leonard Williams, Jarran Reed, and Byron Murphy II to anchor their defensive front, with Jonathan Hankins returning as nose tackle.
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