Dolphins claim ex-Seahawks LB Tyrel Dodson after surprising release in Seattle

Tyrel Dodson, who signed with the Seahawks this past offseason, led the team in tackles before his release

Tyrel Dodson wasn’t on the market for long.

The Miami Dolphins claimed Dodson off waivers Tuesday, just one day after the linebacker was surprisingly released by the Seattle Seahawks, head coach Mike McDaniel confirmed.

"It was a surprise he was out there," McDaniel said, via the Sun Sentinel's David Furones. "So, [general manager] Chris Grier is always trying to make the team better."

Dodson joined the Seahawks this past summer on a one-year, $4.26 million deal and he shined initially. Dodson led the team with 71 tackles in nine games. But the Seahawks had lost five of their last six games entering their bye last week, and they had allowed at least 26 points in all of those losses in that stretch. So head coach Mike Macdonald opted to make a change.

So on Monday, the Seahawks released Dodson in a larger overhaul of their linebacking position. The team acquired Ernest Jones IV ahead of the trade deadline, too, and moved him to middle linebacker. That shifted Dodson to the weakside spot for his final few weeks in Seattle.

"It was what's best for us, for the team at this point, and you're looking at what's best for the person, too," Macdonald said, via the Seahawks. "This is a guy that's come in and worked really hard, it didn't work out here, which is on everybody involved, myself included. But it gives him an opportunity to go play somewhere else."

So now Dodson will move about as far from Seattle as possible in the United States and join the Dolphins — who are fresh off a 23-15 win over the Los Angeles Rams on Monday night. That moved the Dolphins to just 3-6 on the year, but they’ve looked significantly better in recent weeks with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa available again after his latest concussion.

It’s unclear when Dodson will make his debut in South Florida. The Dolphins will host the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday.