The Seattle Seahawks have an impossible void to fill at linebacker with team legends Bobby Wagner and K.J. Wright both gone. But somebody’s gotta play the position.
On Friday, the Seahawks announced the signing of linebacker Joel Dublanko. In a corresponding move, they waived tight end Jake Hausmann.
Dublanko went undrafted out of Cincinnati in 2022. He signed with the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted free agent before being released.
As a member of the Bearcats, Dublanko played a big part in helping them become the first Group of Five team to make the College Football Playoff. Last year he served as a team captain and led the team with 113 tackles. Dublanko earned First-Team All-AAC honors for his efforts.
For the better part of a decade the linebacking corps was an essential part of giving the Seattle Seahawks one of the best defenses in the NFL.
But a combination of injuries, retirement and erosion on the defensive line and defensive backfield have caused Seattle’s once dominant defense to falter.
Seattle consistently rank in the top half of the league in terms of points allowed, but they’ve finished in the bottom quarter of the league for yards allowed in two of the last three seasons.
Who will step up for the Seahawks on defense this coming season?