Seahawks hold workout for veteran safety Ifeatu Melifonwu, per NFL Media

The Seattle Seahawks took a look at veteran safety Ifeatu Melifonwu on Monday, with NFL Media’s Mike Garafolo reporting that Seattle had Melifonwu in for a workout. The visit suggests the Seahawks want to evaluate proven NFL experience in their defensive backfield as they continue building out options for their secondary going into the next phase of the offseason.

According to the report, Melifonwu most recently spent the 2025 season with the Miami Dolphins. In that stretch, he appeared in 16 games and made eight starts, totaling 53 tackles, a sack, and an interception for Miami. Those numbers, while not tied to any specific Seattle plan in the public reporting, outline the kind of all-around production teams often target when they bring in safeties with starting experience.

Melifonwu’s résumé also includes his earlier years with the Detroit Lions, where he spent his first four NFL seasons. The reporting credits him with 72 tackles, 4.5 sacks, two interceptions, a forced fumble, and two fumble recoveries during his time in Detroit. For a team like Seattle, that mix of playmaking and production across multiple defensive responsibilities is typically the core appeal behind a mid-offseason workout.

Garafolo’s report also framed the workout as an evaluation rather than a commitment. The coverage indicated that no signing is imminent, while Seattle could choose to revisit adding Melifonwu in the coming weeks. In the NFL offseason, workouts like this often function as a check on fit, communication skills in defensive schemes, and whether a veteran can contribute on special teams as well as in the rotation.

The Seahawks, part of the NFC West and led by head coach Mike Macdonald, will be weighing a range of needs in the secondary as they move through offseason programs. A veteran safety can add stability for inexperienced coverages, and versatility is valuable in systems that ask players to handle different responsibilities post-snap. Seattle’s willingness to bring in Melifonwu underscores that it remains interested in creating depth at safety and strengthening competition at defensive back.

What to watch next is whether this workout turns into an invitation to additional offseason work, a new agreement, or a separate defensive-back move that fills the same general role. If Seattle does revisit Melifonwu later in the summer, the timing will matter, because NFL rosters tend to narrow quickly once teams finalize depth chart decisions heading toward training camp.