When the Seattle Seahawks doubled down at the cornerback position in 2024, they went with a pair of Auburn teammates in Nehemiah Pritchett and D.J. James. While fifth-round pick Pritchett is vying for more playing time in his third season on the roster, the sixth-round selection James made neither Seattle’s initial 53-man roster nor the practice squad.
If you’ve ever wondered what happened to James after his Seahawks departure, he’s now in the United Football League with the Orlando Storm. UFL reporter
James Larsen had the scoop earlier this week.
After James was waived by the Seahawks, he spent his rookie year with the New England Patriots on their practice squad. He signed a reserve/future deal last offseason and made the initial 53-man roster, only to be waived by the Pats after playing seven combined snaps on defense and special teams in Week 1. He did not return to the organization.
Interestingly enough, James was drafted by the Dallas Renegades in January’s UFL draft but did not make the roster. He’s been a free agent for any football league up until this week. The Storm are currently 4-2 and well positioned for the UFL playoffs in their first season. We’ve often seen UFL players turn good spring performances into NFL contracts, so this might be James’ best path back into the big leagues.
