Seattle Seahawks Waive Ex-USFL LB Levi Bell

Opening up an additional roster spot prior to this week's rookie minicamp at the VMAC, the Seattle Seahawks announced they have waived second-year outside linebacker Levi Bell.

Undrafted out of Texas State last season, Bell initially signed with the Ravens before quickly being cut and joining the Michigan Panthers in the USFL. Impressed by his play in the spring pro league, the Seahawks signed him shortly before the start of training camp and he enjoyed a strong preseason, recording 12 tackles, a sack, and 10 pressures, performing well enough to warrant consideration for making the team.

Though Bell didn't earn a spot Seattle's initial roster, the team re-signed him to the practice squad after he cleared waivers. He missed a significant portion of the season on injured reserve before being activated towards the end of the season, but he didn't dress for any regular season games and produced no stats.

Back in January, the Seahawks signed Bell to a future/reserve deal, but that happened prior to the dismissal of coach Pete Carroll and hiring of Mike Macdonald as his replacement. Interestingly, Macdonald was the Ravens defensive coordinator for the past two years, so he had a role in the decision to move on from Bell before even seeing him on the practice field last May.

While Bell showcased above-average burst and a relentless motor in exhibition action last August, Macdonald has always preferred edge defenders with length, and with arms under 32 inches and a smaller 75 1/2-inch wingspan, he doesn't check off that box. With veteran Uchenna Nwosu and Joshua Onujiogu returning from injury and a new crop of undrafted rookies set to sign before camp this week, he became expendable in a new scheme.

Currently, after not selecting one in the 2024 NFL Draft, the Seahawks have five outside linebackers on the roster, including Nwosu, Boye Mafe, Darrell Taylor, and Derick Hall. Onujiogu re-signed in January after missing all of last season with an elbow injury and the team reportedly has signed Houston standout Nelson Ceasar as one of their priority undrafted free agents to compete for a roster spot this summer.