Yesterday NFL teams cut hundreds of players as they trimmed their rosters from 90 down to 53 for the regular season. So, there’s a ton of new interesting players that just became available and the Seattle Seahawks will be getting at least two of them.
According to the NFL’s transaction wire, Seattle has been awarded cornerback Kyu Blu Kelly and linebacker Drake Thomas off waivers. Here’s the complete list of successful waiver claims around the league, per Tom Pelissero at NFL Network.
Waiver claims! pic.twitter.com/3ZjC0YR4z1
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) August 30, 2023
Kelly (6-foot-1, 186 pounds) was one of our favorite potential Day 3 cornerback targets through draft season. In 28 games at Stanford he posted 111 solo tackles, three interceptions and 23 pass breakups.
Meanwhile, Thomas (6-foot-0, 238 pounds) put in 47 games at NC State, totaling 136 solo tackles, four picks, eight PBUs, 19 sacks and a remarkable 46 tackles for a loss.
These moves haven’t been announced yet by the team, but in order to make room for Kelly and Thomas they’ll have to waive two of the players who were announced on yesterday’s initial 53-man roster.
Update:
At least one of those cuts has been reported. According to Adam Schefter at ESPN, Seattle has now released veteran cornerback Artie Burns.
After claiming DB Kyu Blu Kelly on waivers today from the Ravens, the Seahawks now have released cornerback Artie Burns, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 30, 2023
It’s a tough beat for Burns, who performed outstandingly during the preseason. However, Kelly is a younger, cheaper and far more athletic option. He has an 8.76 relative athletic score compared to just 5.02 for Burns.
Update:
The other cut is linebacker Jon Rattigan, per the Seattle Times.
Seahawks waived Jon Rhattigan, which creates the other roster spot needed for the two waiver claims today. Seattle also released S Jonathan Sutherland off IR with a settlement.
— Bob Condotta (@bcondotta) August 30, 2023
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