Joel Iyiegbuniwe to sign with the Seahawks

As first reported by Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic, former Chicago Bears backup linebacker and special teamer Joel Iyiegbuniwe is signing with the Seattle Seahawks.

Iggy was originally a 4th round selection of the Bears in the 2018 draft, and during his career he’s appeared in 58 games while playing on over 75% of Chicago’s special teams snaps. He was never able to crack the Bears’ lineup on defense (49 total snaps), but perhaps he’ll find more opportunities on a new team.

He joins another former Bear, cornerback Artie Burns, and they’ll be coached by former Bears defensive coordinator Sean Desai who is Seattle’s associate head coach and defensive assistant.

The Bears have already added a few linebackers this offseason as they transition to a 4-3 base defense. Free agent acquisition Nicholas Morrow appears to be in line to start at one of the three linebacker spots, with Noah Dawkins and Joe Thomas looking to add some depth and third phase ability.