He was a first-day draft pick who became a defensive starter in his rookie season but eventually fell out of favor.
That explains the reason why the Seattle Seahawks traded safety Michael Boulware to the Houston Texans on Saturday.
And why the Houston Texans traded defensive end Jason Babin to Seattle.
The two teams made a player-for-player trade on Saturday that not only rid themselves of disappointing ex-starters but also filled a minor need.
Babin, 27, gives the Seahawks another veteran defensive end to go with Patrick Kerney, Bryce Fisher, second-year player Darryl Tapp and rookie Baraka Atkins.
The Seahawks lost an experienced defensive lineman when tackle Marcus Tubbs was placed on injured reserve Saturday, when the team got its roster down to 53 players. Tubbs suffered a knee injury in the preseason finale Thursday against Oakland and will not be eligible to play again until 2008.
Tubbs and Boulware were the only big names on Saturday’s list of roster moves. Among the players released were cornerback Pete Hunter, fullback Josh Parry and tight end Leonard Stephens. The big news wasn’t so much who was cut but who wasn’t.
The most surprising player to make the team may have been University of Washington product C.J. Wallace, who was so impressive during the preseason that the team gave up on Boulware and made Wallace the fifth safety.
Another surprise for now, at least was the presence of third-string quarterback David Greene. The third-year player had a disappointing preseason but remains on the roster unless the team can find a better option from the scrap heap of other team’s cuts.
The News Tribune reported on its Web site Saturday night the Seahawks acquired running back Alvin Pearman in a trade with Jacksonville, and Greene would be released to make room for Pearman.
The team kept just four running backs Leonard Weaver was among them and three cornerbacks. Jordan Babineaux, who also plays safety but missed almost all of training camp with a knee injury, could be the No. 4 corner when the regular season begins.
Babineaux is expected to resume practicing soon.
The deepest positions were linebacker (seven) and wide receiver (six). Two Auburn rookies, linebacker Will Herring and receiver Courtney Taylor, made the cut to add depth at those positions.
Former Auburn teammate Kevin Hobbs, a cornerback, wasn’t so lucky. He was among the 21 players cut. The list of cuts included Hobbs, Hunter, Parry, Stephens, cornerback Omowale Dada, quarterback Derek Devine, wide receiver Joe Fernandez, defensive end Brandon Green, defensive tackle Marcus Green, cornerback DeJuan Groce, linebacker Cameron Jensen, wide receiver Jordan Kent, fullback David Kirtman, tight end Joe Newton, wide receiver Logan Payne, center Pat Ross, defensive end Nu’u Tafisi, defensive tackle Eric Taylor, guard Steve Vallos, running back Marquis Weeks and tackle Kyle Williams.
Fernandez, Kent, Kirtman, Newton, Payne and Vallos appear to be likely candidates for the practice squad.
In the end, the Seahawks had no room for Boulware, either. A star linebacker at Florida State, Boulware initially made a smooth transition to NFL safety before allowing too many deep passes to go over his head. He was benched early last season for that very reason, and when he finally got back in the starting lineup, he gave up the game-winning touchdown pass against the San Diego Chargers.
Boulware, 25, played in 48 games with the Seahawks, including 28 starts.
Babin started 21 games in Houston while playing in 43. The former first-round pick from Western Michigan started all 16 games as a rookie in 2004 but got benched early in the 2005 season, along with cornerback Phillip Buchanon, in an attempt to give the Texans’ defense a boost. Babin started just three games last year, but had a career-high five sacks in 15 games.
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