Seattle Seahawks Trade Darrell Taylor to Chicago Bears For Sixth-Round Pick

The Seahawks sent 2020 second-round pick Darrell Taylor to the Bears for a late-round pick on Thursday, suggesting the team will head into the season with four edge rushers.

September 18, 2022; Santa Clara, California, USA; Seattle Seahawks defensive end Darrell Taylor (52) during halftime against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium. / Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

The Seattle Seahawks are trading edge rusher Darrell Taylor to the Chicago Bears for a sixth-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.

Taylor, a 2020 second-round pick out of Tennessee, had only continued to fall on Seattle’s depth chart since logging 9.5 sacks in 2022. Despite having 21.5 sacks in just three seasons on the field, Taylor has often been a liability in run defense and has frequently shown a lack of effort on snaps.

Regardless, Taylor played the third-most snaps among Seattle’s edge rushers last season with Uchenna Nwosu suffering a season-ending injury in Week 7. He would likely make the Seahawks’ 53-man roster again in 2024 but as the fifth option behind Nwosu, Boye Mafe, Dre’Mont Jones and Derick Hall.

Instead, Seattle now gets some return on its investment. It’s even possible Seattle planned to cut Taylor, so getting any sort of draft capital in return is a win for the team.

Head coach Mike Macdonald may make a move to bring in a fifth rusher if needed, but Seattle may head into the season with just four primary rushers. The versatility of Seattle’s defensive front may allow Macdonald to feel comfortable with the room he currently has. Undrafted rookie Jamie Sheriff has also flashed in the preseason, so the coaching staff may like him in-house.

Taylor concludes his four-year Seahawks tenure with 91 total tackles, 22 tackles for loss, 21.5 sacks and five forced fumbles. This move was also the second trade completed by Seattle in two days while it continues to refine what its 53-man roster will look like. Veteran cornerback Mike Jackson was shipped to the Carolina Panthers on Wednesday for rookie linebacker Michael Barrett.