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Seahawks 90-Man Roster Primer: LaDarius Wiley

Trying to move up Seattle's depth chart will be difficult for young safeties such as Wiley. Can the former Vanderbilt and XFL standout find a way to carve out a role for himself on special teams during training camp and the preseason?
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With the calendar flipping to June and offseason programs in full swing across the country, NFL training camps will begin around the league in less than two months. To celebrate the new incoming season, we will be breaking down the Seahawks' 90-man roster over the next several weeks, exploring best and worst case scenarios and what to expect from each player entering the 2021 campaign.

LaDarius Wiley, Safety

Height/Weight: 6-foot-1, 209 pounds

2020 Stats: N/A

One of the SEC's toughest hitters during his college career at Vanderbilt, Wiley racked up 256 combined tackles and seven forced fumbles in four years on campus. Despite this production, however, he went undrafted and signed with the Titans as a free agent before the start of the 2019 season. Seeing limited action in the preseason, he posted four tackles and a pass defensed before ultimately being waived in early September. After not being picked up by another team, he joined the Los Angeles Wildcats in the now-defunct XFL, appearing in five games while recording 13 tackles, an interception, and a sack. He did not play at all during the 2020 season and signed with Seattle as a free agent in May.

Best Case Scenario: Everyone knows Pete Carroll loves guys who can play special teams. Frankly, that is Wiley's best and virtually only shot at making the team and if does well in that aspect, then he could sign with the practice squad.

Worst Case Scenario: Wiley proves to be a "camp body" and is jettisoned without much fanfare quickly after camp begins.

What to Expect in 2021: The "always compete" mantra instituted by Carroll is alive and well when it comes to special teams players, so Wiley should get plenty of training camp and preseason reps in the third phase of the game to try to carve out a role. He will look to earn a spot on the team by proving his worth on kick and punt coverage units, but on a team loaded with talent and depth at safety, his most likely destination is the practice squad if he manages to stick. If not, he will hit the waiver wire hoping he has put enough good play on film to draw interest from other teams.

Previous Seahawks 90-Man Roster Primers

Alex McGough | Darvin Kidsy | Joshua Moon | Cam Sutton