Seattle Spent A Draft Pick On Him, Then Never Played Him Once | Avery Smith

Seattle Seahawks cornerback Avery Smith did not play a single snap in Week 3 against the Washington Commanders, his second straight week without seeing the field, despite the team surrendering a 2027 sixth-round draft pick to trade for him right after training camp. He remains on the 53-man active roster, not released, not on the practice squad. The reason traces back to the NFL's waiver rules: a player with fewer than four accrued seasons cannot simply be moved to a practice squad, he has to clear waivers first, exposing him to a claim from any of the other 31 teams, in reverse standings order, which would let a rival take him for nothing after Seattle already paid a real asset to acquire him. That risk, not a roster crunch, is the most likely reason Seattle is keeping him inactive rather than cutting him loose. It is not the first time this front office has carried a costly, underused asset on the roster rather than admit a swing missed early — in 2010 Seattle traded a second-round pick swap and a full 2011 third-rounder for backup quarterback Charlie Whitehurst, who started four games in two years and earned the nickname "Clipboard Jesus" for the time he spent holding a clipboard on the sideline instead of playing. Narration are AI generated. #SeahawksNews #AverySmith #SeattleSeahawkskct Narration are AI generated. #SeahawksNews #AverySmith #SeattleSeahawksnia