Getty The Seattle Seahawks parted ways with former Colorado defender Alex Tchangam.
As Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider continues to tinker with the team’s 90-man roster heading towards training camp, a roster spot has been left open after releasing a developmental prospect.
Per the NFL’s transaction wire, the Seahawks released defensive end Alex Tchangam, according to Gregg Bell from the Tacoma News Tribune. However, the Seahawks did not make a corresponding move, meaning that the current 90-man roster has just 89 players, leaving a roster spot open.
The Seahawks still have plenty of time before training camp begins, so expect a move to fill the 90-man roster from Schneider in the near future.
Alex Tchangam’s Fascinating Path to the NFL
Tchangam signed a futures contract with the Seahawks back in January, and although he’s never been able to get onto the field during an NFL game, his path to the league has been an amazing one.
The 25-year-old defensive end was born in Cameroon, but moved to Georgia when he was in middle school. Tchangam grew up playing soccer and basketball in Cameroon, and actually didn’t play football at Chattahoochee High School.
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It wasn’t until junior college at De Anza College where Tchangam finally started to play football. It didn’t take long for him to turn into a defensive playmaker, however, racking up 12.5 sacks his sophomore season.
After a solid two years of junior college as a pass rusher, Tchangam transferred to Colorado, where he appeared in 20 games over two seasons. He went undrafted after his college career was over in 2020, but was signed to the Seahawks practice squad in August of 2021.
This is now the third time that Tchangam has been released by the Seahawks over the last year. That means that there’s still hope that the Seahawks bring him back at some point, but another team could potentially bring him in as a developmental prospect considering he’s only been playing football for a few years.
Seahawks Have Some Depth at Defensive End
While the Seahawks parted ways with a developmental project in Tchangam, the team still has a pair of talented players at the defensive end position currently listed on the depth chart.
The likely starter at defensive end will be Shelby Harris, who was acquired from the Denver Broncos in the Russell Wilson trade. The 30-year-old was a seventh-round pick back in the 2014 NFL Draft, but he’s also been hitting his stride the past few seasons as a professional, racking up 14.5 sacks and 18 pass deflections over the last three years.
Harris also helped give the Seahawks some more financial flexibility this offseason by restructuring his contract to clear up significant cap space. He will be a key contributor on passing downs at the very least given his ability to rush the passer and bat down passes as the line of scrimmage.
Darrell Taylor, a second-round pick in 2020, is another player on the edge who could have a big impact on Seattle’s defense. After missing his entire rookie season, Taylor showed some promise as a pass rusher, racking up 6.5 sacks and 13 quarterback hits in 16 games.
If Harris and Taylor can get after the quarterback, then the rest of the Seahawks defense will have more opportunities to make plays, especially the defensive backs trying to generate turnovers.