Seahawks waive nose tackle Jonah Tavai ahead of training camp

In a somewhat surprising announcement, undrafted free agent rookie nose tackle Jonah Tavai has been let go by the Seattle Seahawks just before the start of training camp. The team announced that Tavai had been waived with a non-injury designation, having originally placed Tavai on the Non-Football Injury (NFI) list.

We don’t know what injury Tavai suffered, but perhaps we’ll get some clarification in Pete Carroll’s press conference later this afternoon. Tavai was signed by Seattle out of San Diego State, and even though he’s undersized for the position at 5’11 and roughly 285 lbs, his minicamp performances suggested he’d be in the running for a spot on the 53-man roster.

It’s no secret that nose tackle is a position where the Seahawks aren’t exactly deep. Bryan Mone is recovering from an ACL tear, which means rookie Cameron Young remains the frontrunner to be the team’s starting nose tackle. Seattle also signed Roderick Perry, so he effectively replaces Tavai on the roster, which is now down to 89 players.