

IN HONOR of all the players who've just been released as roster limits shrink to 53, I decided to put together a squad of players who have all, at one time or another - and sometimes even more than once - been cut by our current regime. The basis for these selections is the performance of these players after being cut. For example, Terrell Owens can't make this team because he didn't play for anyone after Seattle. I've also tried to only include players who were cut around the start of the season. There are a few mid-camp cuts, a few players who were cap casualties, but I've allowed these because they occurred late in the process - meaning they were fighting for a spot on the team against rookies, new free agents, and rising players. There is always a lot of debate about the players who get cut, so I thought it would be interesting to see how strong of squad I could assemble - did PCJS regret cutting any of them?

The PCJS All-Cut Team: Offense



Quarterback: Alex McGough. Drafted in the 7th round in 2018, and notable as only the second quarterback ever drafted by PCJS. Released at the end of preseason, he spent 2018 on Seattle’s practice squad before signing a futures contract with Jacksonville. It was pretty slim pickings at quarterback for this list. I’m struggling to find anyone who was actually cut and still played elsewhere; Hasselbeck and Whitehurst both played for several years after leaving Seattle, but they left after their contracts expired. Terrelle Pryor made some noise in the league after being cut by Seattle, but it wasn’t at quarterback. So here I am, grasping at straws and left with a player who’s just been waived again, for the second time in as many years. Maybe he still has some upside? He did pull off this nifty touchdown run against the Eagles in Week 2 of the preseason. He’s basically the only option I have left to put here, as far as I can think, and that’s based only on the fact that he’s still young and theoretically could make an appearance on a 53 somewhere down the line.

Ware had a knack for leaving defenders behind him, on the ground.

Running Back: Spencer Ware. Selected in the 6th round of the 2013 draft, Ware stuck around for the year after being cut at the end of preseason, mainly as a practice squad player, before being released in August 2014. Was signed to a futures contract by the Chiefs late in 2014, and by 2015 had become a regular contributor to their offense, rushing for over 400 yards with 6 TDs in 11 games (2 starts after they lost Jamaal Charles). Ware started every game he played in 2016, posting 1368 yards from scrimmage and 5 TDs across 14 contests. His promising trajectory was tragically interrupted the following year as he suffered a gruesome knee injury (against the Seahawks, of all teams) in the 2017 preseason. He then missed the entire year. He was able to return in 2018 and posted respectable numbers again mainly as a backup, falling just shy of 500 yards from scrimmage to go with 2 TDs in 13 games (2 starts). He’s currently a member of the Colts, but again dealing with injury issues as he begins the season on the PUP list recovering from ankle surgery.

Running Back: Alex Collins. Taken in the 5th round of the 2016 NFL draft, Collins didn't quite click with the Seahawks. He flashed a couple of times in 2016, but concerns about ball security persisted from his collegiate days - he fumbled twice on only 32 carries. An influx of running backs the following season made Collins expendable, and he was released at final cutdowns in 2017. He was signed to the Ravens practice squad, and promoted to the active roster within a couple of weeks. The Ravens seemed to be a better schematic fit for Collins, and he produced his best season as a pro: 1160 yards from scrimmage and 6 TDs over 12 starts in 15 games. Injuries and a decreased role saw most of his numbers fall in 2018 as he posted a little over 500 scrimmage yards and 8 TDs through 10 games (all starts). He was put on injured reserve in December. His tenure with the Ravens ended in the spring of 2019 after an early morning car crash which was suspected to be alcohol-related.

Tight End: Cooper Helfet. Unsigned out of Duke in 2012, the undersized tight end bounced on and off the practice squad for 2 years before finally sticking to the active roster as the #2 Tight End for 2014-15. He appeared in 24 games (4 starts) in those two years, catching 25 passes for 315 yards and 2 TDs - but a big part of his value was his play on special teams.



Wide Receiver: David Moore. A 7th round pick in 2017, David Moore didn't survive the big cutdown but was re-signed to the practice squad. He was called up for 1 game as a rookie, then assumed a more prominent role in 2018 as our #3 receiver behind Doug Baldwin and Tyler Lockett and started 7 of 16 games. Despite fading down the stretch, Moore had several impact plays over the course of the season, and enters 2019 with the expectation that he'll be a significant contributor going forward.

Wide Receiver: Terrelle Pryor. Wasn’t sure whether to put him at quarterback or wide receiver, but he had more success as a wide receiver after being cut. Pryor was traded to Seattle for a 7th round pick in April 2014, and was released at final cuts the same year. After two more abbreviated stops in Kansas City and Cincinnati, Pryor announced that he was converting to wide receiver and signed with the Browns. After a transitional year, Pryor broke out in 2016 with 77 catches for 1004 yards and 4 touchdowns. Unfortunately, instability and injuries prevented him from nearing that production again, and he’s bounced around 4 other teams since then, the latest being Jacksonville - who released him at final cuts this year.

Tackle: Sean Locklear. A 3rd round pick of Seattle in 2004, he was released after the 2010 season as the new staff decided he wasn’t worth the contract he was playing on (negotiated by a previous regime). He played 3 more years for 3 more teams, starting 14 of 20 games in that span.



Guard: Stacy Andrews was traded to Seattle at the beginning of the 2011 season. Andrews was a mid-camp cut the following year. He was picked up by the Giants and started 3 of the 9 games he played in for them. That was his final season in the NFL.



Center: Patrick Lewis. An undersized center who bounced around several teams and practice squads before finding his way to Seattle in 2014, Lewis played in 16 games in 2014-15, starting 13 of those. After being a somewhat surprising release at final cuts in 2016, he was claimed off of waivers by Buffalo, for whom he appeared in one game in 2016 before finding himself out of the NFL.

Guard: Jahri Evans. Evans signed 1-year deal August 6th 2016, but was released September 2nd at the end of the preseason. He simply went back to the Saints and was again a key piece of their offensive line, starting all 16 games. He played one more season with the Packers before retiring, starting 14 of 14 games. Considering the state of our line in 2016, this one looks like a mistake in retrospect. However, it may be true that he simply wasn’t a very good schematic fit - that assessment is beyond me.



Tackle: Rees Odhiambo. Selected in the 3rd round in 2016, Odhiambo signified for many the futility of Tom Cable’s later tenure. He was eventually waived at roster cuts in 2018, and bounced between the Falcons’ and Colts’ practice squads before getting called up to play for Arizona late in the season, where he appeared in one game.

The PCJS All-Cut Team: Defense





Defensive End: Quinton Jefferson was selected by the Seahawks in the 5th Round in 2016. After being waived at final cuts his rookie year, he was claimed by the Rams. Then after being again waived and signed to the Rams’ practice squad, he was signed back onto the Seahawks’ roster only a month after being initially released. He’s appeared in 22 games for Seattle 2017-18, and started 12 of 16 last year - logging 25 tackles, 3 sacks, and a fairly impressive 15 quarterback hits.



Defensive Tackle: Tony McDaniel. Signed as a free agent in March of 2013, McDaniel played for Seattle until August of 2015 when he was released to make room for new contracts for Bobby Wagner and Russell Wilson. He then signed a 1-year contract with the Buccaneers for 2015, where he started 3 of 14 games. He returned to Seattle for 2016, starting 10 of 16 games. He finished his career in 2017, where he played in games for both the 49ers and the Saints.

DT/DE: Jaye Howard was a 4th round pick 2012, and was released at final roster cuts 2013. Claimed by Chiefs off waivers, he spent another year developing before becoming a regular starter in 2014-15. He had a career year in 2015 with 57 total tackles, 11 for a loss, and 5.5 sacks. A hip injury derailed his next season and he hasn’t played for anyone since.



EDGE: Benson Mayowa. Signed as an undrafted free agent in 2013, he appeared in two games before being declared inactive for the rest of the season. He was released at final cuts the following year, after which he was claimed by the Raiders. Mayowa has proven to have some value as a situational rusher since then, playing in 70 games (15 starts) from 2014 up to now. His best seasons have been 2016 in Dallas, where he started 6 of his 13 games and logged 6 sacks; and 2018, where he appeared in 15 games for Arizona (4 starts), logging 4 sacks and also posting career highs in tackles (38) TFL (11) and QBHits (11).



Linebacker: Korey Toomer. Selected in the 5th round of the 2012 draft, Toomer stuck around for a bit before finally being released at final roster cuts in 2014. He bounced around the practice squad circuit before eventually sticking the Chargers, starting 16 games for them over 2016-17. He last played for the Packers in 2018 (7 games, 0 starts).



Linebacker: Ty Powell was a 7th round pick in 2013 and was released at final cuts the same year. After a brief stop with the Giants, he stuck with Buffalo for two years, appearing in 19 games (0 starts).



Defensive Back: Tye Smith was selected in the 5th round of the 2015 draft, but unlike several defensive backs Seattle has picked in the 5th round, Smith's play was about what you expect of his draft status. Smith was released at final cuts in 2016, and spent time on Washington's practice squad that year. After signing a futures contract in the spring of 2017, he has been a member of the Titans since. However, he only played regular season games in 2017 (15 games, 0 starts), while 2018 was spent on IR. He signed another 1-year contract in the spring of 2019, and as of yet I cannot find whether he made the latest 53.

Cornerback: Will Blackmon. Signed as a free agent in February 2013 after 7 years as an oft-injured player with the Packers and Giants, Blackmon wasn’t able to crack 2013’s incredibly deep secondary group. He was released at the end of preseason, and immediately signed by Jacksonville, where he had his best season to date as a pro: 8 starts in 15 games, 40 tackles, a sack, a pick, 11 passes defensed and 2 forced fumbles. After two years with Jacksonville, Blackmon returned to Seattle in 2015, but was again released at final cuts. He again found a contributing role elsewhere, this time in Washington, starting 16 of 30 games played over the next two years.



Safety: Ron Parker. Originally signed by Seattle as an undrafted free agent in 2011, Ron is a great example of someone who spent a lot of time on-and-off practice squads and rosters before finally sticking. He appeared in games for the Seahawks, Raiders and Panthers at various times between 2011-12, before sticking with Kansas City in 2013. He became their starting free safety in 2014, and held that spot through 2017, and returned again for 2018 after spending training camp with the Falcons. From 2014-18, he started 76 of 78 games for the Chiefs. However, he was just released at final cuts.



Safety: Jordan Babineaux. 'Big Play Babs' came to Seattle as an undrafted free agent in 2004 and after a year on the practice squad, he became a regular member of the secondary between 2005 and 2010, when the Seahawks (and their new front office) drafted Earl Thomas. The arrival of Thomas made Babineaux expendable, and he was released at the end of the 2011 preseason. He was picked up by the Titans, where he started at safety for 2011-12. 2012 was his last year in the NFL.

Cornerback: Deshawn Shead. Shead was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2012. He was cut at the end of preseason, but re-signed to the practice squad the following day. He was eventually promoted to the active roster in November of 2013 (after being cut and added to the practice squad for a second time), and was a regular on the 53 until he was released again in March 2018. Shead tarted 22 of 47 games he played in from 2014-16, including 15 of 15 as Seattle’s right corner opposite Sherman in 2016. Tragically, Shead tore his ACL in the 2016 playoffs - just before he was due to become an unrestricted free agent for the first time. The Seahawks re-signed him and after spending most of the season on the PUP list he was able to return for 2 games in 2017. The Seahawks released him in the spring of 2018 so he could seek a bigger contract with another team, but the best he could find was a 1-year contract with the Lions. He failed to make their 53 out of preseason, but was re-signed and played 12 games for them. He returned to Seattle for 2019, but was unable to make the 53 out of training camp. Has Shead played his last snaps in the NFL? Only time will tell.

At a Glance:

OFFENSE



QB: Alex McGough

RB: Spencer Ware

RB: Alex Collins

TE: Cooper Helfet

WR: TJ Houshmandzadeh

WR: Terrelle Pryor

OT: Sean Locklear

G: Stacy Andrews

C: Patrick Lewis

G: Jahri Evans

OT: Rees Odhiambo





DEFENSE

DE: Quinton Jefferson

DT: Tony McDaniel

DT/DE: Jaye Howard

EDGE: Benson Mayowa

LB: Korey Toomer

LB: Ty Powell

DB: Tye Smith

CB: Will Blackmon

S: Ron Parker



S: Jordan Babineaux

CB: DeShawn Shead

Final Thoughts

While there are several good players on this squad, it's a tribute to PCJS that this would be a very bad team. As far as I can tell, no player has ever made a Pro Bowl after being cut by PCJS. This is a team that would go 0-16 if they had to play any real teams. Several of the best players on this list ultimately made their biggest impact for the Seahawks after sticking with the process - which is an encouraging thing to keep in mind if a player you really like has just gotten cut. There will sometimes be a Spencer Ware, Jaye Howard or Ron Parker (wait, are the Chiefs on to something?) to keep you up at night, but those players also took multiple years of development before they got to a level of play that could make you second-guess their release. And it's pretty uncommon. But they're good reminders that getting cut isn't always the end of the road - quite often, it's nearer the beginning.

Let me know who I've missed in the comments!