The Seattle Seahawks’ offseason gamble on cornerback Noah Igbinoghene lasted less than six months, but the former first-round pick did not stay unemployed for long.
Igbinoghene is signing with the Cleveland Browns’ 53-man roster, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported on September 1. The move comes just two days after the Seahawks terminated the veteran cornerback’s contract while setting their initial 53-man roster. Seattle did not bring him back on its practice squad.
That makes his move to Cleveland notable from a Seahawks perspective. Igbinoghene signed a one-year, $1.81 million contract with Seattle in March that included a $255,000 signing bonus and $750,000 guaranteed, according to Spotrac.
And for much of the summer, he had a legitimate opportunity to win a role in Mike Macdonald’s secondary.
Noah Igbinoghene Went From Seahawks Roster Battle to Browns
Seattle signed Igbinoghene on March 17 following his two seasons with the Washington Commanders. The Seahawks were looking for help at cornerback after Riq Woolen departed in free agency, and their own website identified Igbinoghene as one of the primary candidates to emerge behind starters Devon Witherspoon and Josh Jobe.
Igbinoghene gave Seattle reasons to consider him.
During a July 31 practice, Seahawks.com credited him with multiple pass breakups, a forced fumble and a play in the backfield against the run. He later received additional work at nickel as injuries created opportunities elsewhere in the secondary.
The former Miami Dolphins first-round pick brought considerably more NFL experience than most of the players competing with him. Igbinoghene has appeared in 69 regular-season games with 17 starts, including 10 starts for Washington in 2024. He recorded 35 tackles, five passes defended and one sack over 15 appearances in 2025.
Ultimately, Seattle went in another direction.
The Seahawks acquired rookie cornerback Avery Smith from the Los Angeles Chargers on August 30 while trimming their roster to 53 players. On the same day, they released Igbinoghene along with several other vested veterans, including Trevon Diggs.
There initially remained a path back to Seattle. Seahawks.com noted after the cuts that the club could bring Igbinoghene back, but that reunion never happened. Seattle instead put Diggs, Michael Dansby and Andre Fuller among the cornerbacks on its 17-player practice squad.
Cleveland offered something better: an immediate place on the active roster.
Seahawks Chose Younger Options in Secondary
Igbinoghene landing elsewhere also brings Seattle’s crowded summer competition into sharper focus.
When training camp began, he was viewed as a serious contender for snaps in a defense that needed another cornerback to emerge behind Witherspoon and Jobe. Instead, Seattle’s initial 53 included Julian Neal, Nehemiah Pritchett, Avery Smith and Witherspoon at cornerback, with Jobe also remaining a key part of the group.
Smith was the late addition. Seattle traded for the undrafted Toledo rookie after he impressed during the Chargers’ preseason, giving the Seahawks another young option just as final decisions were being made.
For Igbinoghene, Cleveland represents his fifth NFL stop since Miami selected him No. 30 overall in the 2020 draft. He has also played for the Dolphins, Dallas Cowboys and Commanders before his offseason in Seattle.
His Seahawks chapter never reached the regular season, but landing directly on another team’s 53-man roster shows there was still a market for the veteran after Seattle decided its secondary was headed in a different direction.
Seattle Seahawks Lose Former $1.8 Million CB to Cleveland Browns: Report