The Seattle Seahawks begin training camp on Saturday with the first of 10 publicly held practices. One of the most consistent aspects of John Schneider’s tenure as general manager is his ability to find rookie undrafted free agent gems. Jake Bobo, George Holani, and Patrick O’Connell are among the UDFAs Seattle signed right away, while Drake Thomas and Jalen Sundell eventually made their way to the Seahawks roster as rookies after their original teams let them go.
With Seattle maintaining the bulk
of its roster and drafting more players than expected, the UDFA class for 2026 was much smaller than usual. Only four of the seven initial UDFA signings are still on the team, while they added a couple more later on in the offseason.
Here’s a quick rundown of the UDFA rookies as of July 26, so as to account for any signings made after this article goes live.
Aidan Hubbard, EDGE
The former Northwestern star not getting drafted was a bit of a surprise, especially with 13.5 sacks over his final two seasons on an otherwise mediocre (at best) power conference school. Hubbard won’t amaze with blinding speed but he has a quick first step and has shown effectiveness defending the run.
Hubbard’s guaranteed money is $267,500, which is the highest of any Seahawks UDFA by far, and maybe speaks to their interest in having him compete for what is effectively the fifth EDGE spot behind Derick Hall, Uchenna Nwosu, DeMarcus Lawrence, and Dante Fowler Jr. Hubbard’s competition figures to be Jared Ivey (or maybe not, given Ivey’s huge frame for the position could lead to a switch or versatility along the line), Connor O’Toole, fellow UDFA rookie Marvin Jones Jr, and Jamie Sheriff.
I think Hubbard has a very real chance to crack the 53-man roster.
Uso Seumalo, Nose Tackle
The big fella from Kansas State is 330 pounds and may be a fun preseason watch. Nose tackle is not a glamorous position and therefore not one where the box score is valuable. You won’t see high sack totals, tackle numbers, or anything of that sort in the traditional stats. For nose tackles, it’s about taking on/creating double teams, clogging running lanes, disrupting the pocket so that there’s interior pressure, etc.
The only true nose tackle on last year’s roster was Brandon Pili. Jarran Reed and Byron Murphy have had snaps at 0-technique but neither of them is a traditional nose. The problem for Seumalo is less of Pili and more of a numbers game. When Pili was on the roster, he averaged about 11 snaps per game in 13 regular season appearances. He was inactive for the Super Bowl and in two of the final three regular season games.
As much as Mike Macdonald values big bodies, there’s no guarantee either Seumalo or Pili is on the active roster for 2026. However, they kept a few guys on the practice squad (Pili included before he was promoted), so it’s a matter of whether or not the Seahawks want to dedicate a spot to a true nose again. I think they will, so Seumalo has a shot. Watch out for Bubba Thomas and J.R. Singleton as other possibilities after their PS stints last year.
Marvin Jones Jr, EDGE
Jones is very much traits over production. He went from Georgia to Florida State to Oklahoma and had eight total sacks. Jones has an 81-inch wingspan and has an interesting athletic profile. Much like Hubbard, his positioning on the squad is whether or not he can snag that fifth EDGE spot. I’m less bullish on his prospects compared to Jones.
Lance Mason, Tight End
Mason comes to the Seahawks from Wisconsin, where he caught 30 receptions for 398 yards and four touchdowns on an otherwise horrific offense that managed the rarity of shutout home losses in consecutive weeks. He’s probably got more upside as a receiving tight end than Nick Kallerup, but that’s about the only feasible chance he has to make the roster, particularly with Nick Vannett now added to the fold. Seattle has a mix of veterans and young talent at the top of the depth chart that put Mason in a spot where the practice squad is the realistic goal.
Rashad Rochelle, Wide Receiver
Not to be mean or sound crude, but Rochelle is almost certainly not making this roster as a wide receiver. There are too many people to contend against and Seattle’s top five is set in stone, so Rochelle’s pathway is exclusively through his deep kick and punt return experience from his days at Indiana State.
Hubbard and Seumalo have the best opportunities to be the UDFA stars, whereas I believe everyone else is a long shot to no shot.
Myself and fellow Field Gulls staff writer and The Hawks Eye host, Bryce Coutts, talk a bit more about the UDFAs in the timestamped video below! If for some reason the timestamp doesn’t work, go to 32:25 and we talk through 44:34.
