Seahawks get more depth at DE/LB, trade with Jaguars for Trevis Gipson

With NFL teams beginning to make moves to pare their rosters down to 53 by Tuesday, the Seahawks made an addition Monday morning that could carry some ominous overtones, acquiring defensive end/outside linebacker Trevis Gipson from Jacksonville.

As first reported by the NFL Network, the Seahawks gave the Jaguars a late-round pick in return. That there are no specifics on the pick means it is likely a conditional selection, meaning which round the pick is — or whether the Seahawks have to give it up at all — will be based on Gipson’s playing time.

The move comes after the Seahawks saw the leader of their pass rush/outside linebacking corps, Uchenna Nwosu, go down with a knee injury on the first series of Saturday night’s preseason win over the Cleveland Browns.

There has been no additional word on the condition of Nwosu since coach Mike Macdonald spoke to reporters after the game, saying that additional tests were needed before the team would know anything specific.

“We’ll get it looked at tomorrow,’’ Macdonald said Saturday night. “We’ll probably know more in the next couple days.’’

Adding the 6-foot-4, 263-pound Gipson could be insurance in case rush end Dre’Mont Jones is not ready for Week 1. 

Jones has practiced only sparingly in training camp because of a lingering hamstring injury, and did not play in any of the Seahawks’ three preseason games.

Jones returned to practice the week of the joint practices in Tennessee before the preseason game in Nashville on Aug. 17, but left one of the practices early and has not been on the field since.

“It’s looking positive and we’re optimistic with Dre’Mont,” Macdonald said Saturday night. “We’ll see this week how many reps he gets and how we ramp it up.” 

Adding Gipson could be a way for the Seahawks to replace the depth lost when they traded Darrell Taylor to the Bears on Friday for a sixth-round pick in 2025.

Gipson, 27, had 10 sacks over 19 starts with the Bears in the 2021 and 2022 seasons, including seven in 2021.

He was waived before the 2023 season and signed with Tennessee. He played in eight games with Tennessee as a depth and rotational pass rusher, getting one sack, in 2023. He played two snaps on special teams in the Titans’ Christmas Eve loss to the Seahawks in Nashville.

Gipson signed a one-year deal worth up to $1.152 million with Jacksonville in March, a deal Seattle now inherits.

Gipson played 59 snaps in the preseason with the Jaguars, according to Pro Football Focus, with no sacks but four pressures and two hurries, earning a 73.0 pass rush grade.

Gipson, a native of Cedar Hill, Texas, played in college at Tulsa.

Aside from Nwosu and Jones, the Seahawks have Derick Hall and Boye Mafe as sure things to make the roster at the rush end/outside linebacker spot.

Rookie Jamie Sheriff became one of the surprises of camp with three sacks in the last two preseason games playing the rush end position. But the Seahawks might view him more as a practice squad player for now.

Teams have to cut their rosters to 53 by 1 p.m. on Tuesday.