Erickson Releases 11 Players Offensive Tackle Barr, Cornerback Jones Are Among Seahawks’ Early Casualties

The euphoria of the Seattle Seahawks’ 45-3 victory over the Indianapolis Colts didn’t last long.

On Sunday, a somber coach Dennis Erickson released 11 players and must make 12 more moves to get the roster down to 60 players by Tuesday at 1 p.m. He is expected to make the 12 other roster moves today.

“It’s tough cutting anybody,” Erickson said.

There weren’t any surprises among the first wave of cuts. Two players who were waived were drafted by the Seahawks; 1996 third-round pick Robert Barr and 1997 seventh-round choice Carlos Jones.

Barr, a 6-foot-4, 316-pound offensive tackle from Rutgers, spent last season on the Seahawks’ 53-man roster although he never was active. Jones, a cornerback, played for Erickson at the University of Miami from 1992-94.

Also waived were nine rookie free agents; quarterback Jim Arellanes of Fresno State, punter Paul Burton of Northwestern, wide receiver Andre Cooper of Florida State, offensive tackle Pete DiMario of Alabama, defensive end Nick Gianacakos of Boston College, cornerback Alonzo Hampton of Northeast Louisiana, guard J Ina of Miami, linebacker LeVance McQueen of Duke and guard Larry Moore of Brigham Young.

Five players - wide receiver Grayson Shillingford, safety T.J. Cunningham, tight end Itula Mili, linebacker Jason Kyle and defensive tackle Henry McMillan - are injured or coming off injuries, probably leaving Erickson with seven more players to release.

Of the 11 players released Sunday, the biggest disappointment was Barr, who lost out on the offensive line to Grant Williams, a tackle who made the roster as a free agent last year.

“Robert showed signs of possibly being a great player,” Erickson said. “Physically, he’s got all the tools. Obviously, he didn’t perform like we wanted him to. In two years, we saw some improvement, but not enough.”

Of Jones, he said: “Carlos played pretty well, actually.”

So there is a possibility the Seahawks will bring Jones back as a member of their five-man practice squad this season.

The Seahawks (2-2) will play their final exhibition game in Cincinnati Friday night. Then Erickson must get his roster down to 53 players for the season opener against the New York Jets in Seattle Aug. 31.