The Seattle Seahawks are planning to waive outside linebacker Shaquem Griffin, according to Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic. Seattle, like every NFL team, is making cuts to get down to its 53-man roster for the start of the 2020 regular season.
Griffin, whose brother Shaquill is a Pro Bowl cornerback for the Seahawks, was born with amniotic band syndrome, which led to part of his left arm being amputated when he was a child. An inspiration to many, Griffin starred at the University of Central Florida, where he was a three-year starter at linebacker. His success at UCF led to him being a fifth-round pick in the 2018 draft. During his two seasons in Seattle, Griffin recorded 16 tackles while not missing a single game. In his final game as a Seahawk, Griffin recorded a sack of Aaron Rodgers during Seattle's divisional round playoff loss.
Griffin, who worked extensively at becoming a better pass rusher during the offseason, received praise from Seahawks coach Pete Carroll during training camp.
"He flashed just like you'd expect him to," Carroll said of Griffin after Seattle's first padded practice, via The Athletic. "He got free on the edge on a rush, a really nice up-and-under on another one. We're really counting on him, obviously, for his speed and it was demonstrated yesterday."
While Griffin will now be in search of a new team, his twin brother is confident that Shaquem's offseason work will pay off in 2020.
"He started figuring out moves that are going to work for him," Shaquill said. "I'm just really proud of him because he took this in his own hands like, 'You know what, I'm going to be better for this team this year.' I watched him every single day work his butt off to try to get to a point where he's at, just to have an opportunity that (is deserved) coming into this year. I'm definitely proud of him. It's been cool to see."
