The Seahawks announced yesterday that seven players will be starting training camp on their Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list. The most-important of them is starting right tackle Abe Lucas, who missed two thirds of last season with a knee issue that required offseason surgery.
Next up were Seattle’s two projected starting linebackers. Jerome Baker is still dealing with a wrist injury he suffered last season with the Dolphins, so he’s out. Also, former Bills linebacker Tyrel Dodson is out with an as-yet undisclosed issue. He did suffer a shoulder injury in Week 18 with Buffalo but it’s unclear if that’s the cause.
Dodon’s status raises more questions about Seattle’s plans at this position, especially since two other backup linebackers are also out. Drake Thomas is also on the PUP list and undrafted rookie Easton Gibbs is on the non-football injury list.
Odds are the Seahawks will have to sign a free agent linebacker or two in the coming days. For now, it’s fair for fans to question the Dodson signing. Here’s Buffalo beat reporter Ryan O’Halloran talking about Dodson, including being surprised by how much money he got.
Bills writer Ryan O’Halloran told us the $ 4.26M the #Seahawks gave Tyrel Dodson for 2024 and the injury that has the inside linebacker on Seattle’s PUP list to begin training camp next week were surprises to those in Buffalo.@933KJR @thenewstribune https://t.co/jhHhEkiA08
— Gregg Bell (@gbellseattle) July 18, 2024
According to figures at Over the Cap, Dodson signed a one-year deal with the Seahawks worth a total of $ 4.26 million, including a $ 1 million signing bonus that accounts for the only guaranteed money on the deal.
That’s not a massive amount of money, but for an off-ball linebacker with Dodson’s experience it is a bit higher than you’d expect. Our best guess is that Dodson’s agent was able to sell the front office on his Pro Football Focus grade from 2023, which was the highest among inside linebackers at 90.2 overall. Then again, Dodson played less than half the defensive snaps as the next guy on the list – 49ers superstar Fred Warner posted a 90.0 overall grade on 1,200 snaps.
If that PFF grade turns out not to be a fluke nobody will be in a position to complain. However, Dodson’s lack of experience as a defensive signal caller and this injury are legitimate yellow flags.
