The Seattle Seahawks have some tough decisions to make after next Saturday’s preseason finale against the Green Bay Packers. Roster cuts are just nine days away and there are presumably still spots up for grabs that may be decided in the joint practice and Packers game. Of course, preseason games and practices do not comprise the entirety of one’s roster chances. There’s a lot more that we don’t see behind the scenes that make up the remainder of the rubric, but that doesn’t stop us from being dismayed
when a preseason standout doesn’t make the 53-man roster.
Here’s my latest roster projection following the Kansas City Chiefs game. For reference, here was my projection from after the Las Vegas Raiders game.
Offense (27)
Quarterback (3): Sam Darnold, Drew Lock, Jalen Milroe (R)
Cut: N/A
Notes: Nothing’s changed. If Milroe isn’t getting any run with the second-team in camp or preseason then we can forget about Lock getting cut or traded.
Running Back (3): Kenneth Walker III, Zach Charbonnet, George Holani
Cut: Anthony Tyus, Jacardia Wright, Damien Martinez
Notes: Damien Martinez’s bounce-back performance against the Chiefs continues to make the RB3 race compelling, but it feels like Holani’s special teams versatility and better pass protection gives him the edge. I know Martinez was deemed a steal as a seventh-round pick, so exposing him to waivers may be risky, but this is the time of year where I remind everyone how wildly overblown waiver claims actually are. Only six running backs have been claimed off post-cutdown waivers over the last four seasons, one of whom was a special teams returner who hardly ever saw the ball on offense (Kene Nwangwu). Only about two percent of all players waived over the past few deadline days actually get claimed, while way, way, way more waived players stay with their original team and get put on the practice squad.
Fullback (1): Robbie Ouzts (R)
Cut: N/A
Notes: N/A
Wide Receiver (6): Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Cooper Kupp, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Tory Horton (R), Jake Bobo, Dareke Young
Cut: Ricky White, Steven Sims, Cody White, Tyrone Broden, John Rhys Plumlee
Notes: You may think it’s lunacy for the Seahawks to stash six receivers when they are projected to be a run-first team. I don’t have time on my hands to prove it, but I don’t think there is any strong correlation between a team’s passing rate and the number of receivers they roster. The 2023 San Francisco 49ers had six receivers on their initial and final roster and they were last in pass attempts. MVS did play 10 snaps on Friday but all were in the first two series, so despite his lack of noise in camp I think the team views him as valuable enough to roster. Dareke Young just sneaks in as a sixth WR but mostly for special teams reasons.
Tight End (4): Elijah Arroyo (R), A.J. Barner, Eric Saubert, Brady Russell
Cut: Marshall Lang, Nick Kallerup
Notes: Russell is the backup FB, an extra tight end, evidently a backup long-snapper, and a key special teams player. I think his job is safe.
Offensive Line (10): Charles Cross, Abe Lucas, Josh Jones, Christian Haynes, Anthony Bradford, Olu Oluwatimi, Jalen Sundell, Grey Zabel (R), Bryce Cabeldue (R), Michael Jerrell
Cut: Federico Maranges, Amari Kight, Luke Felix-Fualalo, Sataoa Laumea, Mason Richman
Notes: I’ve fiddled with this several times because it’s truly hard to figure out what the Seahawks will do. My major switches are rookie guard Bryce Cabeldue getting in over Sataoa Laumea, while Michael Jerrell is the third-string tackle over Mason Richman and Amari Kight. Keep in mind that John Benton and his assistants had no input on Jerrell and Laumea, so when you factor in the arrivals of Richman and Cabeldue I think things get real tricky. Laumea might have been a good run blocker last year, but he struggled in pass pro and that’s continued into preseason. There are so many different directions this could go and I really am uncertain what they do. Maybe they only keep nine offensive linemen, which might be one of the most common number in other roster projections.
Defense (23)
Defensive Line (6): Byron Murphy II, Leonard Williams, Jarran Reed, DeMarcus Lawrence, Mike Morris, Brandon Pili
Cut: J.R. Singleton, Quinton Bohanna, Bubba Thomas, Anthony Campbell, Johnathan Hankins
Injured list: Rylie Mills (R)
Notes: The big change is the removal of Johnathan Hankins from the roster. Both Bohanna and Pili have been camp and preseason standouts while Hankins has been on the mend with a back issue. The thing about Hankins is he wasn’t brought back until July and the only guaranteed part of his contract is the $350,000 signing bonus. Remember when the Seahawks defense had their second-half turnaround? Hankins’ snap count share was substantially reduced. Pili (or Bohanna, if he’s preferred) can effectively replace Hankins’ spot in the rotation.
Outside Linebacker (4): Boye Mafe, Derick Hall, Uchenna Nwosu, Tyreke Smith
Cut: Seth Coleman, Jalan Gaines, Connor O’Toole, Jared Ivey
Notes: Well, well, well. Uchenna Nwosu’s return has changed the equation a bit. I think that bumps one of Tyreke Smith or Jared Ivey off the roster and for now I lean toward Ivey, who isn’t a traditional edge rusher.
Inside Linebacker (4): Ernest Jones IV, Tyrice Knight, Drake Thomas, Patrick O’Connell
Cut: Jamie Sheriff, D’Eryk Jackson, Josh Ross
Notes: Swapping Ross out for O’Connell, who was getting some first-team reps last week while Tyrice Knight was out. Ross is a special teams guy and he’s been out due to surgery, but he didn’t play on defense at all last year and has missed a ton of camp. Tyrice Knight’s injury/medical issue makes the ILB worth monitoring more closely.
Cornerback (5): Riq Woolen, Devon Witherspoon, Josh Jobe, Shaquill Griffin, Nehemiah Pritchett
Cut: Shemar Jean-Charles, Tyler Hall, Isas Waxter, Keydrain Calligan, Damarion Williams
Notes: Nothing’s changed here. Waxter, Williams, and Hall could be practice squad candidates.
Safety (4): Julian Love, Coby Bryant, D’Anthony Bell, Nick Emmanwori (R)
Cut: Jerrick Reed II, Ty Okada
Notes: Good to see Reed make a couple of plays on Friday. It’s ultimately just too hard to find room for him and the fact that he’s even playing in the fourth quarter is not a great sign for his roster chances. Okada is either the fifth safety or he’s a practice squad stash like he’s been in the past.
Special Teams (3)
Kicker (1): Jason Myers
Punter (1): Michael Dickson
Long Snapper (1): Chris Stoll
Cut: Zach Triner (LS)
Notes: When Stoll’s back works again then Triner is gone. We thank him for deputizing.
One more week to go before we know who’s on the team and who is not! As always, the initial 53-man roster is not what we’ll see throughout the season (or even the Week 1 roster).
