The Seattle Seahawks had some tough decisions to make ahead of Tuesday's deadline to finalize the 53-man roster. While there were some obvious moves made, there were others that fans did not see coming.
One move that fits into the category of the latter was the decision to release Jamie Sheriff. The second-year undrafted free agent has shone in back-to-back preseasons and appeared to be making a push for a roster spot.
Instead, Seattle opted to move on from the linebacker, who likely would have had a tough path to playing time. They will reportedly look to keep him on their practice squad; however, nothing is certain.
Seattle Seahawks part ways with Jamie Sheriff despite another strong preseason
Sheriff emerged as a viable pass rusher during last year's preseason as he recorded eight total tackles, six solo tackles, and three sacks. Seattle waived him and attempted to stash him on the practice squad; however, he was claimed off waivers by the Carolina Panthers the very next day
He lasted just one game in Carolina before being waived so they could sign veteran pass rusher Charles Harris, and wound up back on the Seahawks practice squad. While he made one regular season appearance in Seattle, all of his snaps came on special teams.
Sheriff showed that his preseason production in 2024 was no fluke as he recorded seven total tackles, three solo tackles, and 1.5 sacks in this year's preseason. Despite his strong performance, he was unable to crack the Seahawks' Week 1 roster.
Brady Henderson of ESPN shared the news.
The Seahawks waived LB Jamie Sheriff, a source tells me.
— Brady Henderson (@BradyHenderson) August 26, 2025
Henderson noted that Seattle does hope to keep Sheriff on their practice squad in a follow-up tweet. As the franchise saw last offseason, however, that may be difficult to accomplish following yet another strong preseason.
The league is always looking for players who can get after the quarterback, and Sheriff's 4.5 sacks across two preseasons show that he has plenty of potential to serve as a situational pass rusher. While he has yet to prove that his play can translate to the regular season, he has played just 17 defensive snaps in his brief NFL career.
There will likely be a team in need of a pass rusher that will come calling and add Sheriff to their Week 1 roster. If he is unable to stand out in the role, however, he could wind up on the Seahawks' practice squad for a second consecutive season.