Seahawks 90-Man Rundown: Jamie Sheriff Vying For Hybrid LB Role in Mike Macdonald’s Defense
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Seattle Seahawks linebacker Jamie Sheriff celebrates a sack during a preseason game against the Cleveland Browns. Credit: Jamie Sheriff/Instagram [/caption]
With their offseason program now complete, the Seattle Seahawks will open training camp at the VMAC on July 23, marking the start of the upcoming season before fans have a chance to blink.
In preparation for year two under coach Mike Macdonald, I’ll be detailing every member of the Seahawks' 90-man roster over the next several weeks, sharing fun facts, exploring best- and worst-case scenarios, and predicting what to expect from each player entering the 2025 campaign.
A preseason darling with an incredible story to the NFL, does Jamie Sheriff have an even more exciting encore in store to push for a rotational rushing role with the Seahawks in 2025?
Jamie Sheriff
Height/Weight: 6-1, 254 pounds
2024 Stats: No stats in two games played
Lightly recruited out of high school, Sheriff initially played at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College before hitting the transfer portal and accepting a scholarship offer from South Alabama over North Texas. While a knee injury suffered in fall camp cost him the full 2021 season, he bounced back with two stellar seasons for the Jaguars, eclipsing 40 pressures and totaling nine sacks in 2023 and 2024 to close out his collegiate career. Though he didn’t earn All-Sun Belt honors in either season or receive an invite to an all-star showcase, he tested well at his pro day workout, putting him on the radar for prospective NFL teams.
Ultimately, Sheriff didn’t hear his name called in the 2025 NFL Draft and attended the Seahawks rookie minicamp, departing with a contract. He worked as a beer deliveryman during the offseason while waiting for his next opportunity and Seattle came calling early in training camp, signing him shortly before the exhibition opener. Coming out of nowhere to emerge as a preseason star, he racked up 12 pressures and a trio of sacks for the Seahawks, performing well enough that after the team waived him in final roster cuts that the Panthers claimed him onto their 53-man roster. He played in one game for Carolina before being released, eventually finding his way back to the Pacific Northwest and suiting up in one additional game before being signed to a future/reserve deal in January.
Fun Fact: Per Pro Football Focus, Sheriff finished with the second-most pressures (12) and sacks (three) among all edge defenders during the 2024 preseason while posting an impressive 23 percent win rate on true pass sets.
Best Case Scenario: Out to prove his performance last August wasn’t a fluke and demonstrating improved versatility with a handful of reps as an off-ball linebacker, Sheriff once again thrives against reserve tackles off the edge, ranking among the top five edge rushers in pressures and sacks to carve out a rotational role behind Uchenna Nwosu, Boye Mafe, Derick Hall, and Demarcus Lawrence.
Worst Case Scenario: Unable to replicate his production from last summer, Sheriff’s NFL journey hits a road block as several undrafted rookies leap frog him on the depth chart and his experiment as a hybrid linebacker proves to be anything but fruitful, leading to his release without a practice squad spot.
What to Expect in 2025: Participating in rookie minicamp in May, Macdonald acknowledged that the Seahawks wanted to take advantage of his eligibility to give him a few extra days of on-field work as an off-ball linebacker. Athletically, the ex-South Alabama standout has enough movement skills to potentially be able to handle that role with 4.72 speed and 7.19 3-cone drill agility, but he played a grand total of 72 coverage snaps in college and logged just two snaps as a box defender rather than an edge or defensive end. Asking him to be able to quickly acclimate to that position to the level where he can threaten for a roster spot seems far-fetched and his pass rushing ability remains his ticket to a roster spot.
Fortunately for Sheriff, if Macdonald’s past trends hold true in 2025, the Seahawks will open the season with five edge defenders on the roster and there’s a clear opening behind the quartet of Nwosu, Mafe, Hall, and Lawrence. Being able to play off-ball linebacker as a hybrid defender along with special teams contributions would put another feather in his cap competing against incoming rookies such as Connor O’Toole or returning veterans such as Tyreke Smith. With an explosive first step and underrated bend to turn the corner quickly against opposing tackles, the traits are in place for the second-year defender to build off of his success last year, and if he’s able to do that again this summer, he may have the inside track to one of the final roster spots this time around.
