The Seattle Seahawks had plenty of tough decisions to make on Tuesday, when teams were forced to trim their roster size to 53 players. While there were several moves that were rather easy to see coming, there were also some surprising cuts.
One of those moves was the decision to release linebacker Patrick O'Connell, who appeared to be in line to make the Week 1 roster after a strong preseason. Seattle opted to carry eight linebackers -- Derick Hall, Jared Ivey, Ernest Jones IV, Tyrice Knight, Boye Mafe, Uchenna Nwosu, Connor O'Toole, and Drake Thomas -- on their 53-man roster.
While O'Connell was added to the practice squad, many believed he was in line for a bigger role defensively in his third season. Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report named the former undrafted free agent as the Seahawks' biggest loser from roster cutdown day.
Seahawks LB Patrick O'Connell named as biggest loser from roster cutdown day
O'Connell has appeared in just six games over the first two years of his professional career (and did land on Seattle's practice squad), with all 75 of his snaps played coming on special teams. He appeared to be poised for an increase in playing time; however, he did not make the Week 1 roster, leading Knox to write:
"Linebacker Patrick O'Connell joined the Seahawks as an undrafted free agent in 2023 and managed to stick with the new regime last season. He appeared in five games as a special-teamer in 2024 but appeared to be headed to a bigger role this offseason. According to ESPN's Brady Henderson, O'Connell saw "a good amount" of first-team defensive reps as linebackers Ernest Jones IV and Tyrice Knight were sidelined. O'Connell may stick with Seattle's practice squad, but it would appear that he's not a significant piece of Mike Macdonald's long-term defensive plans."
O'Connell had a strong showing during the preseason, recording 12 total tackles and two solo tackles. He particularly played well in the finale as he finished with seven total tackles.
He was one of three linebackers added to the Seahawks' practice squad, along with Jalan Gaines and Jamie Sheriff. The decision to roster eight linebackers and not include him, however, certainly has to be a letdown for the third-year undrafted free agent.
Despite his play during the preseason, it is clear that Seattle believes it simply has more valuable pieces at the position. While he could earn a call-up to the active roster at some point as he did in his first two seasons, he would likely be limited to a role on special teams once again.
Furthermore, linebacker is a clear position of depth for the Seahawks, which could complicate his path to carving out a long-term role.