The Seahawks are underperforming on defense this season, and a notable move is on tap at the linebacker spot. Seattle plans to waive Tyrel Dodson, ESPN’s Brady Henderson reports. The move has now officially been made. 
Dodson spent his first five seasons with the Bills, serving in a depth capacity as a rookie and taking on a key special teams role across the 2021 and ’22 seasons. The former UDFA saw his playing time jump to 51% last season, though, and he responded with career highs in tackles (74) and sacks (2.5). That landed him a free agent deal with the Seahawks in March.
The 26-year-old has logged over 600 snaps through nine games this year, already more than what he handled in any previous season. Given his major workload – which has included a team-leading 71 tackles along with a pair of sacks, two pass breakups and a forced fumble – today’s news comes as a surprise. Dodson’s one-year deal had a base value of $4.26MM, but its only guarantees consisted of a $1MM signing bonus which has already been paid out.
Dodson was in line to continue collecting per-game active roster bonuses through the remainder of the season, but that will not be the case if he is not retained by the organization. After the trade deadline, all players let go by their respective teams are subject to waivers. An interested club could therefore put in a claim and send the Texas A&M product to a new environment. If not, Dodson will become a free agent, keeping open the possibility of re-signing to Seattle’s practice squad.
This move represents another notable change at the linebacker spot for the Seahawks. The team sent Jerome Baker to the Titans last month, receiving Ernest Jones in return. Jones has started each of his two Seattle contests so far, and that is set to continue moving forward. 2023 UDFA Drake Thomas or fourth-round rookie Tyrice Knight could step into a first-team role to replace Dodson.
Seattle started the year 3-0 under first-time head coach Mike Macdonald, hired in no small part for his potential in delivering improvement on defense. The team now sits at 4-5 on the year, and it ranks outside the top 20 in several defensive categories. Dodson could play a role in helping generate a turnaround if he remains in the fold, but it remains to be seen if that will be the case.
I like Dodson as a run defender, but he doesn’t offer much in coverage.
He has had his moments though.
I know he was released from Seattle without much savings, so that shows how they feel about him.
But I contend he is an NFL situational player. Not a starter.
Its always fun to root for the undrafted guy too.
The problem is Buffalo’s defensive schemes were a better fit for his skills than Seattle’s. A good depth player to add for the right team.
Come back to BUF as a depth player since Spector went to IR
If Seahawks wants to improve, the head coach should be the one released. This guy looked confused and uncomfortable on the sideline during the current slide. Bring in a seasoned head coach like Bill Belichick, who is already spending a lot of time in Seattle to support his son (coach at UW).
Kind of bush league on McDonald’s part. Yes, their defense is struggling but Dodson has played hard, and is being scape-goated for it. The team simply doesnt want to pay more incentives.