Seahawks make four roster moves, including signing Mario Edwards Jr.
The Seahawks made one expected roster move Monday, announcing the signing of veteran defensive end Mario Edwards Jr.
Coach Pete Carroll had confirmed on Friday that the Seahawks would sign Edwards, a 2015 second-round pick of the Raiders who spent last season with the Titans.
The Seahawks also announced the signing of nose tackle Forrest Merrill.
To make room on the 90-man roster, the Seahawks waived linebacker Michael Ayers and defensive end Jacob Sykes. Each had been signed as undrafted free agents and participated in the team’s rookie minicamp over the weekend.
Merrill signed with the Chargers as an undrafted free agent out of Arkansas State in 2021 and played in four games with the Chargers, while spending the rest of the year on the practice squad. He spent last season on injured reserve.
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Carroll had foreshadowed the signing of Merrill when he said Friday that “we’re not done yet” adding to the team’s nose tackle group.
That has been a position of interest for Seattle after the team released veteran Al Woods in a salary-cap move and with Bryan Mone still recovering from an ACL injury in December — potentially not returning until into the 2023 regular season.
Seattle drafted Cameron Young out of Mississippi State in the fourth round and also signed Robert Cooper of Florida State and Jonah Tavai of Brigham Young as undrafted free agents.
Merrill’s addition gives Seattle four healthy nose tackles entering the offseason program. Seattle’s veterans will gather this week at the VMAC as the team shifts into the final phase of its voluntary offseason program, which is scheduled to include nine OTAs (organized team activities) from May 22-June 14, as well as a mandatory minicamp from June 6-8.
Merrill attended the 2021 scouting combine where he measured 6-1, 338.
Wrote NFL.com at the time of Merrill: “If Merrill had the size, frame and length of many others in this draft class, he would be projected as a future starter. As it stands, his draft value will be much more limited due to his height, length and perceived limitations to his game. He’s a pure nose with below-average rush, but can be a handful to block as a run defender. His lack of physical traits will pull him off the board for some teams, but he might have a shot to earn a roster spot as a free agent.”
Merrill played 36 snaps in 2021, according to Pro Football Focus, 28 coming on run snaps.
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He was waived as injured during training camp in 2021 (the nature of the injury was not disclosed) and then reverted to the team’s injured reserve list. He was not tendered as a restricted free agent by the Chargers in March, becoming an unrestricted free agent.
Merrill, 26, is from Willard, Missouri, and had 42 tackles and two sacks in his final college season at Arkansas State in 2020.
While Seattle is sure to continue to explore future options, the signings of Edwards and Merrill help solidify things up front.
Carroll spoke glowingly on Friday of the addition of Edwards, who had three sacks in 343 pass rush snaps last year for the Titans and also was awarded an above average 72.7 run defense grade by Pro Football Focus.
“I’m really pumped about this, because I thought I saw something in Mario a couple months ago when we started free agency, where he could help us,” Carroll said Friday. “He’s got versatility — he’s played end, he’s stood up, he’s been hand in the ground, he’s been inside as a three-technique, he’s played everywhere along the line — that I really like. He’s really quick and he plays really hard. He’s got a real good attitude about him. So he’d fit in a lot of ways. So I see him adding to the pass rush for sure, and he’ll be competing to be in that first group, the first four guys out there. I’ve seen him play enough, he can play football. He’ll be a big factor for us.”
Source: The Seattle Times
