The Seattle Seahawks made a tweak to their roster just before the team’s 2026 preseason finale.
According to the NFL transaction wire, the Seahawks waived linebacker Chris Paul Jr. On the wire, the league indicated Paul was waived with an injury.
Paul spent last season on the Seahawks practice squad. Prior to joining Seattle, the Los Angeles Rams picked Paul at No. 172 overall in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Paul didn’t appear in an NFL regular season game as a rookie. He spent his college career in the SEC at Arkansas and Ole Miss.
With the Ole Miss Rebels in 2024, Paul posted 88 combined tackles, including 11 for loss. He also had 3.5 sacks, four pass defenses and an interception.
In a corresponding move, the Seahawks claimed offensive tackle Kellen Diesch from the Kansas City Chiefs. Ironically, the Seahawks will face the Chiefs in their preseason finale Friday evening.
The roster change for the Seahawks came about 72 hours before the final roster deadline. All NFL teams must trim their rosters to 53 players by 3 pm PT on Sunday, August 30.
Seahawks Waive LB Chris Paul Jr. Before Preseason Finale
GettyThe Seattle Seahawks waived linebacker Chris Paul Jr. with an injury Thursday according to the NFL’s transaction wire.
Paul appeared to be on the roster bubble anyway. The Seahawks, though, likely parted with the linebacker a little early to potentially get a look at a different player.
So close to the roster deadline, Diesch is unlikely to make Seattle’s roster. If it were the regular season, the Seahawks might be claiming the tackle to get a competitive advantage against their next opponent. But that’s likely not the case with Friday’s game being an exhibition.
Paul joined the Seahawks almost exactly a year ago — August 28, 2025. The linebacker signed with Seattle’s practice squad. He never received a game-day elevation during the season or playoffs, but he spent the entire campaign with the Super Bowl champions.
On February 12, Paul signed a reserve/futures deal to return to the Seahawks.
Paul was with the Rams during last season’s training camp. Los Angeles waived him as part of their final roster cuts on August 26.
Perhaps the linebacker will be a candidate to eventually return to the Seahawks practice squad. But he will have to get healthy first.
Because the Seahawks waived Paul with an injury, if he clears waivers, he will revert back to Seattle’s injured reserve. Paul will then spend the entire season on IR unless he reaches an injury settlement with the Seahawks.
Upon his release Thursday, his injury was undisclosed.
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