The Seattle Seahawks want to make sure other teams feel quarterback pressure. Sure, stopping the run is important, but Mike Macdonald's defenses haven't always ranked in the top-10 in terms of yards allowed per rush. Somehow, they still rank in the top 10.
This is because Macdonald knows which players fit his system best, and which are likely to be the most versatile within the scheme. Veteran DeMarcus Lawrence was signed, for instance, not just because he has a history of chasing down quarterbacks, but because he can set a hard edge against the run.
The Seahawks must think undrafted free agent Jared Ivey can do that, too. According to News Tribune beat reporter Gregg Bell, Ivey was likely to stick on Seattle's roster after he was practicing with the team on Tuesday. So was linebacker Connor O'Toole, another UDFA.
Seattle Seahawks will keep UDFAs Connor O'Toole and Jared Ivey
In other words, general manager John Schneider might have reverted to his magic of the early 2010s and partly built the roster on players who weren't drafted. Seattle's Super Bowl teams of 2013 and 2014 had a fantastic mix of guys who were high-round picks but players who also had to prove themselves a bit more.
Ivey and O'Toole making the team also implies that the Seattle Seahawks are going to value the pass rush a lot more than a team who can stop the run. Patrick O'Connell was surprisingly reported released, and he was set to be a backup to inside linebackers Tyrice Knight and Ernest Jones IV.
LB Jared Ivey apparently made the #Seahawks’ initial 53-man roster. He’s on the practice field about to warm up
— Gregg Bell (@gbellseattle) August 26, 2025
So is LB Connor O’Toole pic.twitter.com/kBr9EjIelS
O'Toole, a physical freak from Utah who began as a wide receiver but used his speed to become a very good edge rusher, is going to chase down quarterbacks. How good he is against the run is unknown.
Ivey is bigger at 6'6" and 275 pounds, and maybe the team hopes he can gain mass and play defensive end. But the Seahawks could have also tried to hide him on the practice squad and let him sit for a bit. The fact he is going to make the team, as implied by Gregg Bell, means Seattle is happy with what he can do right away.