The Seattle Seahawks are bringing back most of a championship defense in 2026, which means a young linebacker trying to make his first regular-season appearance may face an uphill battle.
Bleacher Report’s Moe Moton named Chris Paul Jr. as the player Seattle should cut before the season, projecting the former fifth-round pick to land back on the practice squad after spending his entire rookie year there.
Paul’s situation stands out because the Los Angeles Rams traded up to select him No. 172 overall in the 2025 NFL draft. He didn’t make it through his first summer in Los Angeles, however, as the Rams waived him during final cuts.
Seattle added Paul to its practice squad two days later. He stayed there throughout the Seahawks’ Super Bowl season and signed a reserve/futures contract in February, so he could feasibly make the roster this summer.
Paul Jr. Faces Stiff Competition in Seahawks Linebacker Corp
GettyOXFORD, MISSISSIPPI – SEPTEMBER 07: Terry Wilkins #4 of the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders carries the ball against Chris Paul Jr. #11 of the Mississippi Rebels during the second half at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on September 07, 2024 in Oxford, Mississippi. (Photo by Justin Ford/Getty Images)
Moton’s reasoning starts with Seattle’s formidable trio.
Ernest Jones IV, Drake Thomas and Tyrice Knight sit atop the inside linebacker group, and the Seahawks have already made their commitment to that unit clear.
Seattle re-signed Thomas to a multi-year contract in March, with the team noting that Jones, Thomas and Knight are all under contract for multiple seasons.
That continuity is good news for the defense but bad news for Paul.
Bleacher Report also pointed to Patrick O’Connell and Chazz Surratt because of their special teams experience. Players fighting for fourth- and fifth-linebacker jobs often need to earn their place in the kicking game, where both veterans already have NFL work.
Paul has yet to play a regular-season snap.
On the bright side, he made some noise in college prior to the NFL. Paul finished his final season at Ole Miss with a team-high 88 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, four passes defended, an interception and a fumble recovery.
Additionally, Pro Football Focus gave Paul an 87.2 overall defensive grade in 2024, seventh among all FBS linebackers, so there was enough upside for the Rams to move up and draft him.
Former Rams Draft Pick Gets Preseason Opportunity
GettyINGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA – AUGUST 09: Phil Mafah #37 of the Dallas Cowboys runs behind the block of T.J. Bass #66 as Chris Paul Jr. #54 of the Los Angeles Rams chases during the second quarter in a NFL Preseason 2025 game between Dallas Cowboys and Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium on August 09, 2025 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
Paul’s next opportunity arrives quickly.
The Seahawks open their preseason schedule against the Dallas Cowboys at Lumen Field on Saturday, Aug. 15. And these exhibition snaps — as it is for various players jostling for a roster spot — can make or break Paul’s future with Seahawks.
His preseason play needs to pack a punch since his camp has included an interruption.
Field Gulls reported in early August that Paul had been sidelined by an ankle injury, cutting into a stretch when younger players need as many practice repetitions as possible. He returned to practice Aug. 7.
Seattle saw enough in Paul last year to bring him into the building shortly after Los Angeles let him go, then kept him through the season to include him among 15 players signed to futures contracts in February.
The difficult part is finding a role that separates him from the rest of the room.
Moton called Paul a likely cut candidate and suggested another practice-squad stint could follow. That would preserve a developmental option for Seattle, but it would also leave a 2025 fifth-round pick waiting for his first NFL snap entering Year 2.
The preseason provides Paul with his opening, and with Seattle’s top three linebackers secure, his best justification for a spot on the squad will have to come through defense, special teams or both.
Seahawks’ Former Ole Miss Standout Named Cut Candidate Ahead of Preseason Opener