Seattle Seahawks: Malik McDowell waived, three tight ends signed

The Seattle Seahawks have moved on from Malik McDowell, their top pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. The team also made room to add three tight ends amidst injury concerns at the position.

Defensive tackle Malik McDowell was once a promising defensive tackle coming out of Michigan State. That’s why the Seattle Seahawks made him their top pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. Now, after just over a year, the team is already moving on from McDowell. He was waived before the Seahawks started training camp on Thursday.

McDowell marks the most recent mistake in a growing number of draft miscues by the Seahawks, who once built a legendary team, including the Legion of Boom, through the draft. To be fair to him, McDowell’s career was torpedoed by a serious concussion suffered in an ATV incident last year. Obviously, he never fully recovered and that’s why he never saw the field during his rookie season. Now he might never play in an NFL game at all.

Cornerback DeAndre Elliott was waived alongside McDowell because of a failed physical. Elliott played in 13 games with the Seahawks back in 2016, but recorded no significant statistics. He missed all of 2017 with a leg injury. Elliott was originally an undrafted free agent from Colorado St.

The Seahawks signed tight ends Kayaune Ross and Je’Ron Hamm to fill the two new empty roster spots. Ross is listed at 6-6, 225 pounds while Hamm is 6-3, 236 pounds. Both players are former college wide receivers who want undrafted and have changed their positions to better fit the NFL. While Ross is just a rookie, Hamm has been in the league since 2014, but only has two career catches for 13 yards.

Later in the day Thursday, the Seahawks added another tight end. The team claimed Kyle Carter off of waivers. Carter, a 6-3, 245 pounds undrafted player out of out of Penn St., played in just three games with the Minnesota Vikings last season and recorded no catches. Prior to that, he’d spent the entire 2016 season on the Vikings practice squad.

The signings came about because of concern regarding a groin injury that potential starter, Ed Dickson, has been dealing with. The issue landed Dickson on the non-football related injury (NFI) list. Adding to the need for the position, fellow tight end Clayton Wilson was placed on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list. It’s unlikely all three new tight ends make it on the final roster but the competition for backup spots at the position is now in full swing.