A post-draft look at what the Seahawks roster could look like come end of preseason.
Time flies, doesn’t it? We’re less than 100 days from the start of the NFL preseason. By the end of this week we should know the Seattle Seahawks’ full preseason and regular season schedule, and the July-August training camp dates should be known no later than the end of June.
With the NFL Draft and rookie minicamp behind us, let’s take an early look at the Seahawks roster with an extremely early 53-man roster projection. Why? Because we can and we need offseason content. Please remember that it’s May and that this roster will likely have a few more tweaks coming before training camp arrives. We’ll have better educated guesses in August.
Offense
Quarterback (2): Geno Smith, Sam Howell
Cut: Chevan Cordeiro
Running Back (4): Kenneth Walker III, Zach Charbonnet, Kenny McIntosh, George Holani (R, UDFA)
Cut: Kobe Lewis, TaMerik Williams
Wide Receiver (5): DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Jake Bobo, Laviska Shenault
Cut: Dee Eskridge, Dareke Young, Easop Winston Jr, Dee Williams, Hayden Hatten, Cody White
Tight End (4): Noah Fant, Pharaoh Brown, AJ Barner, Jack Westover (R, UDFA)
Cut: Tyler Mabry, Brady Russell
Offensive Line (9): Charles Cross, Abe Lucas, Christian Haynes (R), Laken Tomlinson, Olu Oluwatimi, Nick Harris, George Fant, Sataoa Laumea (R), Michael Jerrell (R)
Cut: Stone Forsythe, McClendon Curtis, Raiqwon O’Neal, Garret Greenfield, Mike Novitsky, Max Pircher, Tremayne Anchrum Jr
Defense
Defensive Line (7): Byron Murphy II (R), Leonard Williams, Jonathan Hankins, Dre’Mont Jones, Jarran Reed, Mike Morris, Cameron Young
Cut: Myles Adams, Matt Gotel, DeVere Levelston, Buddha Jones
Outside Linebacker (5): Boye Mafe, Uchenna Nwosu, Derick Hall, Darrell Taylor, Nelson Ceaser (R, UDFA)
Cut: Sunny Anderson, Rason Williams II
Inside Linebacker (4): Tyrel Dodson, Jerome Baker, Tyrice Knight (R), Jon Rhattigan
Cut: Patrick O’Connell, Easton Gibbs, Drake Thomas
Cornerbacks (5): Devon Witherspoon, Riq Woolen, Tre Brown, D.J. James (R), Nehemiah Pritchett (R)
Cut: Ro Torrence, Carlton Johnson, Artie Burns, Mike Jackson Sr, Andrew Whitaker
Safeties (5): Rayshawn Jenkins, Julian Love, K’Von Wallace, Coby Bryant, Jerrick Reed II
Cut: Jonathan Sutherland, Ty Okada
Punter (1)
Michael Dickson
Kicker (1)
Jason Myers
Long Snapper (1)
Chris Stoll
General Notes
- George Holani and Jack Westover are my top UDFAs on offense to snag themselves a roster spot. Most teams generally roster four running backs, so I think Holani is an odds-on favorite to make the 53. Westover is a little more dicey, but I think he has the blocking and receiving skillset to make his case for roster inclusion.
- Cutting Dareke Young may be a surprise to some. While I like Young as a special teams gunner, he’s done virtually zero as an actual wide receiver over two seasons (and barely run any routes). Jake Bobo has played both special teams and instantly contributed as a receiver. Laviska Shenault could be a kick return option and has been higher up the WR depth chart on other teams. I feel like Young and Dee Eskridge are at risk of losing out—I’m not fooled by one good kick return.
- The Seahawks drafting multiple guards and adding a durable, veteran option in Laken Tomlinson has me believing Tremayne Anchrum Jr is on the roster bubble despite being signed in free agency.
- I don’t think Stone Forsythe is a roster lock. Bringing back George Fant almost makes Forsythe redundant given he can also play both left and right tackle, and historically has done so at a higher level. Rookie Michael Jerrell may be battling Forsythe for a roster spot.
- Nelson Ceaser might be the most intriguing UDFA signing on defense. It’s actually a little surprising that he wasn’t even drafted given his versatility. If not in lieu of Darrell Taylor, I believe he’s added to the roster as a situational edge rusher.
- It’ll be interesting to see how Seattle handles inside linebacker. We can assume Tyrel Dodson, Jerome Baker, and Tyrice Knight are the three main guys, but how many more will they carry for depth and/or special teams purposes? I imagine they’ll max out at five ILBs, if that many. Most likely it’s four.
- Drafting James and Pritchett puts both Burns and Jackson Sr’s respective roster spots under threat.
- If Jerrick Reed II’s recovery from his ACL tear isn’t going as smoothly as expected, then don’t be surprised if he starts the season on PUP. In which case, I’d favor Sutherland to make the roster.
- Yes, I believe every Seahawks draft pick will land on the initial 53-man roster. Jerrell is the only one I’m iffy on.
And that’s all! Let us know what you think of the roster projection or come up with your own in the comments!
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