When the Seahawks opened training camp in late July, Jamie Sheriff was back home in Ridgeland, Mississippi delivering beer for Southern Beverage Company.

Just a few weeks after he quit that job to continue the pursuit of his NFL dream, Sheriff was one of the standouts in the Seahawks' 37-33 preseason victory over the Browns, recording a pair of sacks to give him three in the past two games.

"It's a blessing, because three weeks ago I didn't know where I was going to be," Sheriff said. "I was at home, delivering beer for a beer company. And when I got that call I just made the most of my opportunity."

Sheriff, a rookie out of South Alabama, not only went undrafted last spring, he also did not catch on with a team in the hundreds of signings that immediately followed the draft. Sheriff did get an invite to Seahawks rookie minicamp as a tryout player, and while he did not get a contract following that weekend, he did make enough of an impression for the Seahawks to keep him in mind as camp went along.

Eventually, the Seahawks signed Sheriff on August 6, and despite being a late addition to the team, he finished the preseason with seven tackles and three sacks, and with a real shot to stick around either on the 53-man roster or on the practice squad.

"He's a guy that really stood out during the rookie tryout," Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said. "Just kind of the message with all the guys; if there's not a spot for you right now, we're still invested in your growth and development. To his credit, he didn't skip a beat since he's been here. He should be proud of the way he played."

After his tryout did not lead to a spot on the 90-man roster with Seattle, nor any other team for that matter, Sheriff eventually got a job with Southern Beverage in early July, continuing to work out hoping a team would call.

"I was training every day after (work) being prepared for the moment when it came, and I was ready when it came," he said.

Sheriff ended up quitting that job just days before Seattle called.

"Actually, I quit two days before, and then two days after I ended up getting that call, so I was like 'Look at God!" he said.

Sheriff thought his chance with an NFL team would come sooner than it did, but he didn't let the wait discourage him, and now that he's with the Seahawks he has been making the most of the opportunity.

"Honestly, I was surprised, because I do think that I have the talent to play in this league," he said. "But I just stayed ready for the moment. I didn't give up, I didn't let that discourage me. I kept training every day. My agent was telling me, 'Keep at it, we're going to be on a team this fall.' I just trusted him and stayed prepared for the moment."

And it shouldn't come as a surprise that Sheriff is taking advantage of opportunities despite challenging circumstances. Coming out of Terry High School, Sheriff began his college career as a walk-on at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College. He then transferred to South Alabama in time for a COVID-19 shortened 2020 season, then missed the 2021 season due to injury. After back-to-back productive seasons in 2022 and 2023, Sheriff hoped an NFL opportunity was in his future, but even that took longer than expected.

"It made me who I am today," Sheriff said. "I walked-on to the community college so that gave me that fire, that drive, that motivation to get better each and every day. I never settled. I'm never getting complacent. I'm always working each and every day to get better and trying to improve myself."