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Seahawks send LB Kevin Pierre-Louis to Chiefs for D.J. Alexander

Kansas City and Seattle have swapped linebackers on Friday, with D.J. Alexander joining the Seahawks and Kevin Pierre-Louis (pictured) being sent to the Chiefs. (Elaine Thompson / AP)
By Bob Condotta Seattle Times

The Seahawks traded linebacker Kevin Pierre-Louis to the Kansas City Chiefs for linebacker D.J. Alexander, both teams announced Friday, in a swap of players whose roles have been largely limited to special teams.

Alexander, though, made the 2016 Pro Bowl as a special teams player and that is likely one of his main appeals for the Seahawks, who spent the offseason adding linebackers who could improve special teams.

Alexander was a fifth-round pick in 2015 out of Oregon State, which also means he is under contract through the 2018 season while Pierre-Louis will be an unrestricted free agent following the 2017 season.

Pierre-Louis is due to have a salary cap hit of $788,413 this season while Alexander has remaining cap hits of $665,563 and $755,563 the next two seasons, so the Seahawks can save a little money in essentially making trade of players with like roles and responsibilities.

Pierre-Louis was a fourth-round pick of the Seahawks out of Boston College in 2014 who was compared on draft day in style by Seattle scout Todd Brunner to longtime 49ers’ standout NaVorro Bowman.

But Pierre-Louis never carved out a role on the Seattle defense, starting only one game in three seasons, that coming in 2015 against Carolina when he started at weakside linebacker in a game when Bobby Wagner was injured and Seattle started K.J. Wright in the middle.

Pierre-Louis also battled injuries and played just 34 of a possible 48 regular season games.

He figured to enter training camp this season fighting for a roster spot as he entered the final year of his contract.

He’ll leave Seattle having made 29 tackles in 34 games. He had seven tackles in 13 games last season, the fewest of his career, and played in only six games on defense with his other seven appearances coming solely on special teams.

The 6-2, 233-pound Alexander has started just one game for the Chiefs in two seasons and was listed as the backup left inside linebacker in the team’s 3-4 defense heading into the season.