The Seattle Seahawks have parted ways with one of the more memorable players from their appearance on HBO’s “Hard Knocks.”
Seattle released rookie defensive tackle Uso Seumalo from its practice squad on September 3, the team announced. The Seahawks made the move to create room for veteran offensive tackle Bobby Hart.
For Seumalo, it was the second time in less than a week that Seattle had let him go. The Seahawks waived the undrafted rookie while setting their initial 53-man roster, then brought him back as part of their 17-player practice squad on August 31.
His latest departure carries a little more fan interest than the typical practice-squad transaction because Seumalo emerged as one of Seattle’s memorable personalities during the team’s first season on “Hard Knocks.”
Uso Seumalo Had Memorable ‘Hard Knocks’ Moment
Seumalo received one of his biggest spotlights during Seattle’s rookie talent show.
The 6-foot-3, 330-pound defensive tackle performed Bob Marley’s “No Woman, No Cry” in front of his Seahawks teammates, a moment the NFL later featured in its “Hard Knocks” coverage. Seattle’s official recap said Seumalo “absolutely crushed” the performance.
He also appeared in another memorable sequence during Seattle’s preseason game against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Seumalo was part of an on-field discussion with referee Bill Vinovich about the NFL’s virtual measurement system when Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce interjected to voice his frustration with the league’s move away from traditional chain measurements. The exchange was subsequently featured on “Hard Knocks.”
Those moments made Seumalo considerably more recognizable to fans than most undrafted players fighting for a practice-squad spot.
His football résumé also gave him an unusual path to Seattle.
The Seahawks signed Seumalo as an undrafted free agent on May 1 following his college career at Kansas State. He played 50 games for the Wildcats after beginning his career at Garden City Community College. In his final college season, he recorded 20 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and one sack.
Seumalo also became the first player from Molokai High School in Hawaii to earn a Division I football scholarship, according to his Seahawks biography. He had previously played basketball and volleyball and did not begin playing high school football until his senior year.
Seahawks Choose Veteran OL Depth With Season Approaching
Seattle’s decision appears to be more about roster allocation than anything Seumalo did wrong.
The Seahawks already have defensive-line depth on their practice squad, including rookie nose tackle Deven Eastern, while Thursday’s move gives them another experienced offensive tackle behind the active roster.
Hart brings significantly more NFL experience. Seattle’s announcement noted that he has appeared in 108 career games with 75 starts after spending time with the Giants, Bengals, Titans, Bills and Chargers.
Seumalo, meanwhile, produced two total tackles in each of Seattle’s three preseason games, finishing the exhibition schedule with six tackles.
The Seahawks clearly saw enough from him to bring him back after the initial 53-man cut, but the practice squad is fluid by design. Just three days after Seattle assembled that group, its need for additional offensive-line depth cost Seumalo his place.
Whether another opportunity comes quickly remains to be seen. But for Seahawks fans who followed the team throughout “Hard Knocks,” his brief stay in Seattle produced considerably more screen time — and personality — than the average undrafted rookie gets.
Seattle Seahawks Cut Ties With Fan Favorite From Hard Knocks