The Seahawks have given up on Kevin Pierre-Louis and added another special-teams player.
They also are apparently stockpiling another failed former first-round pick as a potential new pass rusher.
Seattle traded Pierre-Louis, their athletic fourth-round draft choice from 2014 who didn’t play consistently, to Kansas City for linebacker D.J. Alexander. The 25-year-old Alexander was selected to the Pro Bowl last season as a special-teams player.
The Chiefs confirmed the deal Friday morning.
Pierre-Louis was not in the Seahawks’ plans to play anything other than special teams again this season, if that. He’s been sitting behind Pro Bowl veteran K.J. Wright at weakside linebacker. Last season Seattle tried him at strongside linebacker — then acquired veterans Michael Wilhoite from San Francisco and Terence Gavin from Washington to compete for that job starting with the first practice of training camp on Sunday. Pierre-Louis is entering the final year of his rookie contract, and may not have made the 53-man roster for the 2017 regular season.
He has a chance for more playing time in Kansas City. The Chiefs primarily use a 3-4 scheme with four linebackers instead of Seattle’s 4-3.
Alexander has two years remaining on his rookie contract he signed as Kansas City’s fifth-round pick in 2015 out of Oregon State. He played 48 snaps on defense in 16 games last season. He started one game at inside linebacker in the Chiefs’ 3-4 as an injury replacement last December, then played in the Pro Bowl on special teams as an injury replacement. He had initially been a Pro Bowl alternate.
Also, the NFL Network reported Friday the Seahawks agreed to sign Philadelphia former first-round pick Marcus Smith. The Eagles put him on waivers this week, and he cleared them on Thursday.
Smith, 25, had just four sacks in 37 games over his first three seasons since the Eagles made him the 26th overall pick, out of Louisville. That makes him a draft bust — so far.
He is listed as a defensive end but could also be a situational pass rusher as an outside linebacker for Seattle. Seahawks coach Pete Carroll never has enough pass rushers, and Smith could be insurance arriving with Dion Jordan’s uncertain health.
Jordan is another so-far failed former first-round pick the Seahawks have added since last season. The third-overall choice in 2013 out of Oregon signed this spring after a checkered and injury-filled past with the Miami Dolphins. He hasn’t played in an NFL game since 2014.
Upon arriving with the Seahawks in April, his new team’s medical staff determined the need to have clean-up surgery on his knee. He didn’t participate in last month’s minicamp, and his availability is questionable heading into training camp.
“We haven’t had a chance to really see him. We were fixing what had happened before,” Carroll said. “He didn’t get hurt here. He came to us needing a clean-up on his knee. He didn’t know that at the time. We uncovered it and then we’ve gone to work at it. He’s done everything he’s supposed to do and done a really good job, but he hasn’t been able to get on the field yet.”
Asked if the team had an estimate for Jordan practicing, Carroll said: “I don’t know that one. I don’t know.
“We’ll see how far he can come and how soon he can come back. We don’t know.”
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