Report: Seahawks fill out 90-man roster by bringing back ex-USC cornerback

The Seattle Seahawks announced the signing of defensive back Chris Steele on Wednesday. According to Pro Football Reference, Steele had was originally signed to the team’s practice squad in January before inking a reserve/future contract with the team following the season. He was waived at the end of April, and has now returned to the team once more, according to NFL insider Tom Pelissero.

Chris Steele played for the USC Trojans prior to entering the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2022. He spent time with the Miami Dolphins and... Pittsburgh Steelers. Here is a brief snippet of his scouting report from Dane Brugler’s 2022 draft guide in the Athletic:

SUMMARY: A three-year starter at USC, Steele was an outside cornerback in former defensive coordinator Todd Orlando’s balanced scheme. After a quick exit fromFlorida, he became a Trojan before his freshman season and made immediate contributions, but he didn’t quite match the hype, especially last season (three pass-interference penalties, four touchdowns allowed in coverage in 2021). Steele is a good-sized athlete with functional footwork and field vision, along with thecompetitive juices needed to crowd NFL receivers. However, there is a slight delay in his reaction quickness against crafty, non-linear route runners and he isn’t yetthe sum of his parts. Overall, Steele has enticing ingredients with his size, speed and awareness, but too often there is a breakdown in the spatial relationships incoverage, leading to uneven tape. He is a traits-based prospect with untapped ability.

GRADE: 6th-7th Round

With the additions of Rodrick Perry and Levi Bell, this should put the Seahawks at the 90-man roster limit as training camp kicks off on Wednesday.