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The Seattle Seahawks have released defensive lineman Earl Mitchell, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network.
The Seahawks signed Mitchell last month after it was announced that fellow defensive tackle Jarran Reed would be suspended for six games.
As Garafolo points out, this does not mean Seattle won't bring Mitchell back. So long as no one else picks him up, the Seahawks can re-sign him for Week 2 rather than guarantee his whole salary by paying him now.
The news also comes shortly after Seattle traded for pass rusher Jadeveon Clowney, so it's entirely possible that the Seahawks felt they didn't have as much of a need for Mitchell anymore, especially with Ziggy Ansah also looking good to go for the season opener.
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Mitchell, who played his collegiate football at the University of Arizona, was originally selected by the Houston Texans in the third round (81st pick overall) of the 2010 NFL Draft.
He spent the first four seasons of his career with the Texans but was only moderately productive, with his best season with the club coming in 2013 when he tallied 48 tackles and 1.5 sacks.
The 31-year-old then moved on to the Miami Dolphins for three seasons, but after playing in all 16 games during his first year in South Beach, he appeared in just 21 contests over his final two seasons.
Mitchell then proceeded to sign with the San Francisco 49ers, where he spent each of the last two years. He is coming off of a 2018 campaign in which he participated in 14 games and totaled 28 tackles.
