Fourth-year defensive tackle Jordan Hill will be in search of a second NFL employer after the Seahawks cut him from their IR list, Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times reports.
He will venture to waivers and if unclaimed will become a free agent for the first time. Seattle drafted Hill in the third round in 2013, but the former Penn State lineman has not played yet this season. The Seahawks waived Hill with an injury designation before the start of the season.
By virtue of being waived from an IR list, Hill would be eligible to return to the field for another team if he’s signed. Since he wasn’t placed on IR during the season, Hill could not have been activated by the Seahawks as an IR-boomerang player. Condotta reports linebacker Mike Morgan, who is out after undergoing sports hernia surgery, could now be a candidate for that luxury.
A backup in 26 of the 27 games in which he’s played, Hill did play a key role for the 2014 NFC champions as a depth inside pass-rusher. He registered 5.5 of his seven career sacks in his second season while also recovering three fumbles and intercepting a pass. Hill’s lone start came in 2015, a season in which he played in 10 games but remained mostly a reserve presence for the Seahawks.
Despite being a roster presence on the past three Seahawks playoff teams, Hill only played in two of those games, missing both Super Bowls for which the franchise qualified in this span.