Seahawks 90-Man Rundown: Jalan Gaines Hopes to Take Fast Track to Roster Spot
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After a stellar college career at Illinois State, Jalan Gaines will get a crack at competing for a rotational edge role with the Seattle Seahawks. [/caption]
With their offseason program all wrapped up, the Seattle Seahawks will open training camp at the VMAC on July 23, meaning the start of the upcoming season will be here before fans have a chance to blink.
In preparation for year number two under coach Mike Macdonald, I’ll be detailing every member of the Seahawks 90-man roster over the next several weeks, dishing out fun facts, exploring best and worst case scenarios, and predicting what to expect from each player entering the 2025 campaign.
One of several incoming rookies set to battle for snaps as an edge in Seattle, can Jalan Gaines’ solid production at the FCS level translate into success as a pass rusher in the NFL?
Jalan Gaines
Height/Weight: 6-3, 242 pounds
2024 Stats: 50 tackles, five sacks, 12.5 tackles for loss
Hovering the radar as a recruit coming out of Oak Lawn High School in Chicago, Gaines spent one season at Division III Dubuque, registering 21 tackles, four sacks, and nine quarterback hits for the Spartans. Putting his name on the map for Division I schools, he hit the transfer portal and took his talents to Illinois State, where he logged action in three games as a sophomore before transitioning into a much larger role in his final two years on campus.
Taking a star turn for the Redbirds as an outside linebacker in 2023, Gaines broke out with 5.5 sacks and 10 tackles for loss while also adding five pass breakups in coverage, ranking among team leaders in all three categories. Though he didn’t quite hit the same sack total as a senior, he finished third in the Missouri Valley Conference with 12.5 tackles for loss and also tallied 12 quarterback pressures, proving to be a frequent nuisance for opposing quarterbacks. Though he didn’t hear his name called on draft day, the Seahawks quickly signed him as a priority undrafted free agent and he participated in the entirety of the final phase of their offseason program, giving him a good base line to compete for reserve snaps in July and August.
Fun Fact: Even with a slight dip in sacks as a senior, Gaines was one of only two qualified FCS edge defenders to finish in the top 10 in both quarterback hits (11) and pass rush productivity rating (9.7), per Pro Football Focus.
Best Case Scenario: Possessing enough twitch and burst to win as a speed rusher against fringe NFL-level tackles in the preseason, Gaines outperforms the likes of Connor O’Toole and Seth Coleman to land a practice squad spot with the Seahawks and suits up for a couple of games as a game day elevation.
Worst Case Scenario: Overmatched physically at under 245 pounds, Gaines gets pushed around and bullied at the line of scrimmage during the first two preseason games and isn’t able to contribute enough as a pass rusher to stick on the roster, leading to his release prior to the final exhibition game in Green Bay.
What to Expect in 2025: If there’s a position where an undrafted rookie could possibly carve out a spot on Seattle’s roster bubble or even steal a spot in September, outside linebacker presents an intriguing situation. If the core of Uchenna Nwosu, Demarcus Lawrence, Boye Mafe, and Derick Hall all are healthy, the team may be more than happy to role into Week 1 with just those four players active. But Macdonald kept five edge defenders for the majority of the 2024 season and Nwosu’s status coming off knee surgery remains murky, as he could open camp on the PUP list.
Given Nwosu’s health questions and the fact Lawrence just turned 33 years old and is coming off a significant injury of his own, the door appears to be open for a competitive battle for a fifth spot on the depth chart. Gaines didn’t post the best athletic numbers at his pro day workout, but he demonstrated plenty of juice as a speed rusher at Illinois State and occasionally penetrated the line to make splash plays against the run. If those traits translate on the practice field and in exhibition games when the pads come on, he has a chance to hang around, but the biggest key will be whether or not he can physically do what he needs to as an edge setter in Macdonald’s scheme, which has typically been better equipped for bigger, stronger outside linebackers.
