Seahawks set 53-man roster: David Moore in, Paul Richardson and Shaquem Griffin out

The Seahawks have set their initial 53-man roster for the upcoming 2020 NFL season, releasing the roster after making cuts and other maneuvers in time for the league’s 1 p.m. Saturday deadline.

Seahawks practice squad includes Shaquem Griffin, Stephen Sullivan

First, a few notable things to point out.

• David Moore beat out Paul Richardson for a spot at wide receiver, but according to reports he had to take a paycut to make the the roster. Moore, a 2017 seventh-round pick of Seattle’s who is entering his fourth year pro, signed a restricted free-agent tender worth $2.13 millon this offseason. Per NFL Network reporter Ian Rapoport, Moore was set to sign a reworked contract Saturday morning.

#Seahawks WR David Moore, who was on an RFA tender worth $2.13M, has agreed to a reworked contract and will stay in Seattle, source said. He’ll sign his new deal this morning.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 5, 2020

Richardson’s chances of making the team after returning to Seattle on a free-agent contract last week didn’t sound good after head coach Pete Carroll said Friday that Richardson had a tough task showing what he can do in such a short amount of time between his signing and Saturday’s roster deadline.

• Linebacker Shaquem Griffin, twin brother of Pro Bowl cornerback Shaquill Griffin, was waived. The Seahawks were likely hoping to retain Shaquem on the practice squad, though he needed to clear waivers without being claimed by another team for that to happen. That’s how it went down as Shaquem was one of 14 practice squad signings on Sunday. It’s worth pointing out that the Griffin brothers have essentially played together their whole lives except for 2017 when Shaquill was a rookie with the Seahawks and Shaqueem was still at UCF, and Shaquill is entering the final year of his rookie contract.

• Not only was former WSU quarterback Anthony Gordon waived, but Seattle didn’t sign him to the practice squad after he cleared waivers, instead opting to retain Danny Etling as the practice squad QB.

• In addition to releasing Richardson, the Seahawks released veteran fullback Nick Bellore. Seattle released Bellore last year and re-signed him shortly after, so it’s speculated that could be the plan once again.

• As you might expect, all eyes turned after Saturday’s deadline to free agent Jadeveon Clowney, who starred at defensive end for Seattle in 2019 after being acquired from the Houston Texans in a trade on the eve of the season. According to reports, both the Saints and Titans have been pursuing Clowney in the past week, with the Ravens also sometimes thrown in the mix. The Seahawks have reportedly been “monitoring” the situation.

A break in the story came Saturday afternoon with ESPN’s Diana Russini reporting that Clowney is expected to join the Titans, who are coached by Mike Vrabel, who Clowney has experience playing for when both were with Houston.

Jadeveon Clowney is expected to sign with the Tennessee Titans sources tell ESPN. He rejoins Mike Vrabel who was on the Texans defensive staff for Clowney’s first 3 years in the league in Houston. The Saints, the other main suitor, made a very strong case. This was a close one.

— Dianna Russini (@diannaESPN) September 5, 2020

Russini later reported that Clowney had told the Titans he would sign with them, and NFL insider Josina Anderson followed up Saturday night with a tweet saying that Clowney had informed the Saints that he had chosen the Titans and would be heading to Nashville on Sunday morning.

Jadeveon Clowney just informed me he just let the #Saints know he's now chosen the #Titans. New Orleans made a last ditch push through the overnight to improve its deal & lure him away, but "it came down to familiarity over economics." Added "packing now to head there in morning"

— IG: JosinaAnderson (@JosinaAnderson) September 6, 2020

The signing became official Sunday.

Enough details. Here is the full Seahawks roster and moves announced Saturday:

53-man roster

• Quarterback: Russell Wilson, Geno Smith

• Running back: Chris Carson, DeeJay Dallas, Travis Homer, Carlos Hyde

• Wide receiver: Tyler Lockett, DK Metcalf, Phillip Dorsett II, David Moore, Freddie Swain, John Ursua, Josh Gordon (suspended)

• Tight end: Greg Olsen, Will Dissly, Jacob Hollister, Luke Willson

• Offensive line: Duane Brown, Mike Iupati, Ethan Pocic, Damien Lewis, Brandon Shell, B.J. Finney, Phil Haynes, Jordan Simmons, Jamarco Jones, Cedric Ogbuehi

• Defensive line: L.J. Collier, Rasheem Green, Benson Mayowa, Damontre Moore, Alton Robinson, Poona Ford, Bryan Mone, Jarran Reed

• Linebacker: Bobby Wagner, K.J. Wright, Bruce Irvin, Cody Barton, Jordyn Brooks, Ben Burr-Kirven

• Cornerback: Shaquill Griffin, Tre Flowers, Quinton Dunbar, Neiko Thorpe, Linden Stephens

• Safety: Jamal Adams, Quandre Diggs, Marquise Blair, Ugo Amadi, Lano Hill

• Specialists: P Michael Dickson, K Jason Myers, LS Tyler Ott

Roster moves

Waived

Tommy Champion, OT
Demarcus Christmas, DT
Danny Etling, QB
Aaron Fuller, WR
Anthony Gordon, QB
Shaquem Griffin, LB
Penny Hart, WR
Gavin Heslop, DB
P.J. Johnson, DT
Cedrick Lattimore, DT
Lance Lenoir, WR
Tyler Mabry, TE
Chris Miller, DB
Ryan Neal, DB
Debione Renfro, DB
Jayson Stanley, DB
Stephen Sullivan, WR
Cody Thompson, WR
Chad Wheeler, OT

Released

Paul Richardson, WR
Nick Bellore, FB

Placed on Reserve/Physically Unable To Perform

Rashaad Penny, RB

Placed on Reserve/Non-Football Injury

Colby Parkinson, TE
D.J. Reed, CB
Darrell Taylor, DE

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