Seahawks Sign 29-Year-Old Edge Rusher Amid Cowboys Interest

Getty The Seahawks are signing LB Tyus Bowser.

The Seattle Seahawks are signing a new edge rusher.

As noted by ESPN’s Brady Henderson, the Seahawks are signing outside linebacker Tyus Bowser. The 29-year-old had received interest from the Dallas Cowboys, visiting with the team a few days prior. However, Bowser is deciding to instead reunite with Mike Macdonald, who worked as the Baltimore Ravens‘ defensive coordinator during the 2022 and 2023 seasons along with a defensive assistant during Bowser’s first four seasons from 2017 until 2020.

“The Seahawks announced three practice squad moves, including the addition of OLB Tyus Bowser,” writes Henderson. “The 29-year-old Bowser reunites with Mike Macdonald, having spent his entire career to this point with Baltimore. Seattle also signed CB Faion Hicks and released OT Garret Greenfield.”

Bowser had met with the Cowboys a few days prior, with Dallas still looking to beef up its defensive line. The Cowboys acquired defensive tackle Jordan Phillips via trade from the New York Giants and signed veteran defensive end Carl Lawson, before releasing the latter during 53-man roster cutdowns.

Via ESPN’s Todd Archer:

“In addition to RB Dalvin Cook, the Cowboys are scheduled to meet with DE Tyus Bowser, who played for the Baltimore Ravens,” writes Archer. “Injuries kept him off the field for most of the last two years.”

Seahawks Making Clear Effort to Bring in Edge Rushers

The Seahawks have made a flurry of moves for pass rushers in recent days, with Tyreke Smith having been signed to the practice squad along with Seattle trading for Trevis Gipson. Veteran Uchenna Nwosu is still nursing a sprained knee that could sideline him for the start of the 2024 season.

Corbin K. Smith of Seahawks Fan Nation describes Bowser as a “reliable” linebacker in coverage.

“Showcasing a versatile skill set as a 3-4 outside linebacker, Bowser has been reliable in coverage when asked to drop back, including intercepting three passes in 2020,” writes Smith. “Over the course of his six-year career, he’s allowed only two touchdowns while intercepting four passes and registering five pass breakups, yielding a stellar 69.0 passer rating when targeted by opposing quarterbacks.”

Why Tyus Bowser Could Be Active in Week 1

The former second-round draft pick appeared in 89 games during his seven years with the Ravens, starting 23 of those games. His best season came in 2021 when he started 17 games for the first and only time in his career. He posted 59 tackles, eight tackles for loss and seven sacks during the 2021 season.

However, Bowser has been slowed down by injuries over the past two seasons, missing the entire 2023 season due to a knee injury during the summer. He appeared in nine games with four starts during the 2022 season after missing the beginning of the year due to an Achilles injury.

The Ravens released him following the conclusion of the 2023 season.

Over the course of his seven-year career, Bowser holds career totals of 152 tackles and 19.5 sacks to go along with 22 tackles for loss.

Considering Bowser is a proven pass rusher from the edge position and has experience playing in Macdonald’s defensive units, don’t be surprised if he ends up being active during the season opener.