Buddha Jones is a new addition to the Seattle Seahawks’ nose tackle competition after he impressed in his short tryout session at rookie minicamp.
The Seattle Seahawks signed former Troy defensive tackle Buddha Jones to the 90-man roster on Saturday, bringing depth to their defensive line after rookie minicamp ended.
Taking part in Seattle’s minicamp as a tryout, Jones made an immediate impression alongside players like Byron Murphy, a first-round selection, and was signed as soon as the last on-field practice on Saturday ended. With his acquisition, the team now has one opening on its 90-man roster; however, no more additions have been made public as of yet. OTAs are scheduled to start next week.
Jones began his collegiate career at Kent State, where he participated in 12 games as a true freshman and recorded 10 total tackles. He only played in two games in 2020 because to the COVID epidemic, recording two tackles, before deciding to transfer to Troy in order to play closer to his hometown of Tallahassee, Florida.
Mostly used as a nose tackle, Jones amassed 64 tackles and 6.5 tackles for loss in three seasons with the Trojans. In his last season, he recorded a strong 82.0 run defense grade, according to Pro Football Focus. Although he didn’t record any sacks throughout his time in college, he did record 20 total pressures in 2022 and 2023, which gave him respectable internal pressure on few passing down plays.
With veteran Johnathan Hankins and Cameron Young ahead of him in the depth chart, Jones, who weighs 307 pounds, will now compete for a spot on the team as a nose tackle. He will have a tough road ahead of him attempting to make the squad with Murphy and veteran Jarran Reed both capable of playing inside in 0 or 1-tech configuration, but he’s already off to a solid start after signing his first NFL contract this week.