Taniela Tupou came to last weekend’s Seattle Seahawks rookie minicamp with zero certainty. The Archbishop Murphy High School graduate wasn’t a signed player, instead being one of nearly 30 undrafted rookies trying to convince the Seahawks he deserved a roster spot more than someone who already had one. He didn’t even have certainty with regards to his position, being listed on the roster as a fullback but assigned a number (99) belonging to a defensive tackle, the position he played at the University of Washington.
But one thing now is certain: Tupou impressed the Seahawks.
Tupou was one of five tryout players who earned contracts out of rookie minicamp as Seattle added him to its 90-man offseason roster. Tupou, who spent time at rookie minicamp playing both defensive tackle and fullback, was assigned a new number (45), which affirms his position switch to fullback — his touchdown catch during Sunday’s scrimmaging demonstrated he has the hands for the position. He’s now listed at a stout 6-foot-1 and 284 pounds, and he’s the only fullback currently on the roster.
The other players signed by the Seahawks out of rookie minicamp were receiver Tyler Slavin, tight end Ronnie Shields, linebacker Pete Robertson and cornerback Jamal Marshall. Slavin and Shields, who had been on Seattle’s roster before being waived last week to make room on their roster for signing 13 undrafted free agents, were invited back to try out. Both had a lot of catches during rookie minicamp’s three days and managed to get themselves back on the roster. Robertson is an undrafted rookie out of Texas Tech, while Marshall is an undrafted rookie out of North Texas who fits the mold of Seattle’s big corners (6-foot-2, 210 pounds).
To make room for those five, the Seahawks released defensive tackles A.J. Francis and Lars Koht and safety Robert Smith, and waived/injured receiver Jeff Fuller and cornerback Mohammed Seisay. The most significant of these are Francis and Seisay. Francis, acquired off waivers from Miami last season, finished the campaign on Seattle’s 53-man roster. Seisay was acquired from Detroit last offseason for a sixth-round draft pick, but sat out all of last season after suffering a dislocated shoulder during the preseason.
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