Seattle Seahawks acquire pass rusher Trevis Gipson from Jaguars
JACKSONVILLE, FL - AUGUST 17: Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Trevis Gipson (50) fights through a block by Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive tackle Brandon Walton (73) during a preseason NFL game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Jacksonville (Chris Leduc / Icon Sportswire / Getty Images)
With the status of pass rusher Uchenna Nwosu in doubt for the start of the season, the Seattle Seahawks made a move to acquire Trevis Gipson in a trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars on Monday.
Gipson, 27, has spent four years in the NFL after being selected by the Chicago Bears in the fifth round of the 2020 NFL Draft. He spent three seasons with the Bears before playing last year for the Tennessee Titans. His best season came with the Bears in 2021 when he had 7.0 sacks and 39 tackles while making nine starts for the team.
The Seahawks sent an undisclosed draft pick to the Jaguars for Gipson, which various media reports listed as a sixth-round pick. A sixth-round pick is also with Seattle acquired from the Bears in last week's trade for Darrell Taylor. Effectively, the Seahawks have swapped out Taylor for Gipson in the last five days.
Per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com, Nwosu has a sprained MCL in his left knee sustained in Saturday night's preseason finale against the Cleveland Browns. The injury is expected to sideline Nwosu for 2–6 weeks.
Nwosu took a chop block at the hands of Cleveland guard Wyatt Teller and running back Jerome Ford. Teller hit Nwosu in the leg trying to make a diving block as Ford hit him high.
Nwosu hobbled and went down on the field as trainers came out to tend to him. He eventually walked off the field on his own and had an ice wrap put on his legs on the sidelines. Eventually, Nwosu did retreat to the locker room.
If the Seahawks anticipate his absence to be closer to six weeks than two, they could elect to put Nwosu on injured reserve to start the season. An IR stint requires a minimum absence of four weeks. And due to a rule change, they don't need to keep Nwosu on the initial 53-man roster to preserve the availability to bring him back from IR during the season. Up to two players can be played on injured reserve during roster cuts, which are due by 1 p.m. on Tuesday.
Nwosu is clearly Seattle's best pass rusher and any absence would be a tough blow for the Seahawks' defense. Dre'Mont Jones has also missed significant time during training camp due to injuries as well. The team could have used pass rushing help even prior to Nwosu's injury on Saturday and Gipson now comes in to bolster the group.
The Seahawks released cornerback Willie Roberts to open a roster for Gipson's addition.