The Seattle Seahawks begin their 2026 training camp this Saturday, as the Super Bowl champions look to be the first NFC team to win back-to-back titles since Jimmy Johnson’s Dallas Cowboys in the 1990s. Yeah, it’s really been that long since there was an NFC dynasty.
There are plenty of intriguing roster battles on both sides of the ball, but especially on defense, where the bulk of the Seahawks’ offseason changes occurred. Before camp officially begins, I’m giving it another crack at projecting the initial
53-man roster.
Offense (26)
Quarterback (3): Sam Darnold, Drew Lock, Jalen Milroe
Cut: N/A
Notes: Milroe might be competing not to get traded, otherwise it should be the same set-up as last year as long as Milroe doesn’t have a disastrous camp and/or preseason.
Running Back (3): Jadarian Price (R), Emanuel Wilson, George Holani
Cut: Jacardia Wright, Kenny McIntosh
PUP: Zach Charbonnet
Notes: Charbonnet is confirmed to be on PUP, while McIntosh is starting camp on PUP. I anticipate the latter being available to practice soon. Jadarian Price, Emanuel Wilson, and George Holani will surely be the top three backs, and it’s up to a numbers game to see if Wright or McIntosh earns a fourth spot while Charbonnet is gone. Most likely, they stick with three and shift one of Wright or Kenny to the practice squad.
Fullback (2): Robbie Ouzts, Brady Russell
Cut: N/A
Notes: Seattle is definitely going to be using full backs, and I hope under Brian Fleury that Ouzts can be something other than a tell that the Seahawks are running the ball. Ouzts had some tight end skills in college, so use it to your advantage! Russell is a “fullback/tight end” hybrid but really he’s there as a special teams beast.
Wide Receiver (5): Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Cooper Kupp, Rashid Shaheed, Tory Horton, Jake Bobo
Cut: Emmanuel Henderson Jr (R), Cody White, Ricky White III, Velus Jones Jr, Irv Charles, Rashad Rochelle, Montorie Foster
Notes: Either Seattle keeps five receivers or six, in which case I’m curious to see if Ricky White III can make good on his second season with the team. Seattle re-signing Shaheed and Bobo in the offseason essentially took away the drama as far as the wide receiver room.
Tight End (3): A.J. Barner, Elijah Arroyo, Eric Saubert
Cut: Lance Mason (R), Nick Kallerup
Notes: I have a feeling Kallerup is on the bubble, or at least competing with the rookie Lance Mason. Seattle keeping Kallerup on the active roster all of last season is encouraging but doesn’t mean his spot is now guaranteed for 2026. It may make sense to keep four TEs when the team runs so much 12 and 13 personnel, but I’d sooner believe the Seahawks would just make use of Ouzts or Russell when they want to go heavier and stash Kallerup and/or Mason on the practice squad.
Offensive Line (10): Charles Cross, Abe Lucas, Josh Jones, Mason Richman, Anthony Bradford, Olu Oluwatimi, Jalen Sundell, Grey Zabel, Bryce Cabeldue, Beau Stephens (R)
Cut: Federico Maranges, Bobby Hart, Amari Kight, Logan Brown, Christian Haynes
Notes: Brady Henderson has referenced and at least speculated Oluwatimi possibly being traded on an expiring contract. For now, I think he stays and Seattle will let him walk in free agency. Beau Stephens may eventually challenge or (in 2027) replace Bradford as right guard, but bare minimum I think it’s a wrap for Christian Haynes. I think Seattle may max out at keeping only nine linemen in the long run but the initial 53 could have 10.
Defense (24)
Defensive Line (5): Byron Murphy II, Leonard Williams, Jarran Reed, Rylie Mills, Mike Morris
Cut: J.R. Singleton, Bubba Thomas, Brandon Pili, Uso Seumalo (R)
PUP/Injury stash: Deven Eastern (R)
Notes: Mills will be one to watch in training camp and preseason now that he’ll have a healthy offseason under his belt. Eastern missing much of OTAs and minicamp has me thinking he’ll just be given the NFL equivalent of a medical redshirt. Seattle lacks a traditional nose tackle—they pretty much have Jarran Reed as the nose—but Seattle may just stash Pili and/or Seumalo on the practice squad and elevate when needed. I’ve had Mike Morris on the bubble for seemingly ever and he’s still here, so I might as well back off until there’s evidence he could be let go.
Outside Linebacker (5): Derick Hall, Uchenna Nwosu, Dante Fowler Jr, DeMarcus Lawrence, Aidan Hubbard (R)
Cut: Jared Ivey, Connor O’Toole, Marvin Jones Jr (R), Jamie Sheriff, Jalan Gaines
Notes: I’ve not changed from the pre-OTAs projection. Hubbard is my lone UDFA to crack the roster. Ivey and O’Toole just miss out and at least one of the two gets put on the practice squad. The only reason I would counter myself to put Ivey over Hubbard is Ivey’s large frame as an edge could provide something of a unique look.
Inside Linebacker (4): Ernest Jones IV, Drake Thomas, Tyrice Knight, Chris Paul Jr
Cut: Chazz Surratt, Patrick O’Connell, Ja’Markis Weston
Notes: ‘Pooh’ Paul is still a great unknown in the Seahawks defense. This is just a pure hunch that could be quickly undone once we get to practices. Surratt was a cheap FA re-sign limited to special teams, but he might get the spot over Paul and others if it comes down to ST value. O’Connell is a perennial “ready squad” guy so I don’t worry about him.
Cornerback (5): Devon Witherspoon, Josh Jobe, Nehemiah Pritchett, Julian Neal (R), Noah Igbinoghene
Cut: Shemar Jean-Charles, Brandon Johnson, Michael Dansby (R), Tyrone Broden, Andre Fuller (R)
Notes: Witherspoon and Jobe are locks, Neal is pretty much a lock, so that leaves Pritchett, Fuller, Johnson, Igbinoghene, and Dansby as five guys competing for two spots. I’ve thought about it some more and for now, I think Pritchett and Igbinoghene have the inside track and that leaves Fuller and Dansby in particular on the outside looking in.
Safety (5): Julian Love, Ty Okada, Nick Emmanwori, Bud Clark (R), Rodney Thomas II
Cut: Maxen Hook, D’Anthony Bell, A. J. Finley
Notes: I think the final spot comes down to Thomas or Bell. Seattle has familiarity with Bell dating back to last season, but Thomas has more experience as a defensive starter while maintaining a high special teams count.
Special Teams (3)
Kicker (1): Jason Myers
Punter (1): Michael Dickson
Long Snapper (1): Chris Stoll
Cut: No one
Notes: There’s nothing to discuss here. It’s like having three free spaces on the giant Seahawks bingo board.
There will be more regular roster projections once preseason begins, as by then we’ll have a clearer picture of who has the inside track and whose bubbles are about to burst. We’ll also have a metric ton of signings and waivers during that time frame that will make previous projections obsolete, so it keeps things fresh and exciting.
The only thing I’m certain of is that it will be very difficult to predict the bottom end of the roster, which is a testament to the talent level the Seahawks currently possess.
Join the conversation!
Sign up for a user account and get:
- Fewer ads
- Create community posts
- Comment on articles, community posts
- Rec comments, community posts
- New, improved notifications system!
