The Seattle Seahawks are taking care of the first part of their roster-building process for the 2026 season. Seattle begins its Super Bowl repeat push on Sept. 9 against the New England Patriots, a familiar opponent after the Seahawks defeated New England to win Super Bowl 60. The defending champions are currently 3.5-point favorites over the Patriots at FanDuel Sportsbook.
After finishing the preseason, Seattle must reduce its roster to a maximum of 53 players by 3 p.m. PT on Sunday, August 30.
But
the initial 53-man roster is only part of the process.
Once the waiver wire process is completed, the Seahawks will begin assembling their practice squad, which can provide additional developmental players and emergency depth throughout the season.
The claiming period for players placed on waivers during the final roster reduction expires at 10 a.m. PT on Monday, August 31. After the league distributes the subsequent Personnel Notice confirming the results of the waiver process, teams can begin forming their practice squads.
Seattle enters the waiver process with the 32nd and final priority, meaning all 31 other teams will have an opportunity to claim a player before the Seahawks. The waiver order is based on the 2025 regular-season standings through the first three weeks of the 2026 regular season, with Seattle at the bottom after winning the Super Bowl.
That makes the Seahawks’ own collection of players particularly important. Several young players who don’t make the initial 53-man roster could potentially return to Seattle after clearing waivers, while veteran players who are not subject to waivers can immediately negotiate with teams or sign with a practice squad.
We’ll track every Seahawks practice squad addition, as well as Seattle’s waiver claims, throughout the process.
Practice squad formation rules
- Teams can begin forming their practice squads after the waiver period expires at 1 p.m. ET on Monday, August 31. The NFL will send a subsequent Personnel Notice confirming the results of the waiver process, and teams can begin signing practice squad players after receiving that notice.
- A player claimed off waivers cannot go directly to a practice squad. A successful waiver claim means that player goes onto the claiming team’s 53-man roster. The player must first clear waivers before becoming eligible to sign with a practice squad.
- A standard practice squad consists of 16 players. Teams can have a 17th player if that player qualifies for and is designated under the NFL’s International Player Pathway Program. It is worth mentioning that Seahawks have Federico Maranges, iOL that is part of this program.
- Players who are not subject to waivers can immediately sign with another team or join a practice squad. Players with four or more accrued seasons are unrestricted free agents when released and are not subject to waivers. Players with three or fewer accrued seasons are subject to the waiver process. As such, players like Eric Saubert and Noah Igbinoghene could be cut and brought back to the team later, just as the Seahawks have done in other years with other veterans.
For purposes of an accrued season, a player generally needs to be on full pay status for at least six regular-season games. That includes time on a club’s active/inactive list or certain reserve lists like IR and PUP.
Seahawks players claimed off waivers
N/A
This section will be updated if Seattle makes any waiver claims.
Waived Seahawks players who can sign to the practice squad
This section will be updated following the Seahawks’ final roster cuts and the completion of the waiver process.
- QB
- RB
- WR
- TE
- OL
- DL
- LB
- CB
- S
Players listed here will only be eligible to return to Seattle’s practice squad after they clear waivers, assuming they meet the NFL’s practice squad eligibility requirements.
Reported Seahawks practice squad signings
No signings yet.
This section will be updated as reports emerge and the Seahawks officially assemble their practice squad.
Offense
Quarterback
Running back
Wide receiver
Tight end
Offensive line
Defense
Defensive line
Linebacker
Cornerback
Safety
Special teams
Kicker
Punter
Long snapper
Seahawks’ initial practice squad
Once Seattle begins making its additions, we’ll organize the initial practice squad by position here.
Offense
- QB:
- RB:
- WR:
- TE:
- OL:
Defense
- DL:
- LB:
- CB:
- S:
Special teams
- K:
- P:
- LS:
International Player
The practice squad can change frequently throughout the season. Players can be signed, released or elevated to the active roster depending on injuries and roster needs, so the initial group assembled after roster cuts is unlikely to remain unchanged all year.
The NFL’s standard elevation mechanism allows practice squad players to be moved to the active roster for a game and subsequently return to the practice squad without immediately being subjected to waivers, subject to the league’s elevation limits.
For Seattle, the practice squad will therefore be an important part of maintaining depth behind the 53-man roster, particularly as the defending Super Bowl champions begin the 2026 regular season.
