WATCH: Why Seahawks Traded for Avery Smith, How Rookie Corner Fits Into Secondary Plans
Continuing to shuffle the deck in their cornerback room heading towards the start of the regular season, the Seattle Seahawks shipped a 2027 sixth round pick to the Chargers for Avery Smith as they trimmed the roster down to 53 players.
Emerald City Spectrum reporter Corbin Smith examines why Seattle felt compelled to deal a draft pick for an undrafted rookie cornerback in Smith, where his strengths lie as he joins an evolving secondary, and how the ex-Toledo standout could potentially make an early impact on defense and/or special teams.
Mariners Officially Call Lazaro Montes to Show; Timely or Too Early?
With MLB roster expansion in September, the Mariners brought on two players to turn the 26-man roster into the 28-man roster for the final month. One was lefty Hoby Milner, who the Mariners picked on a minor league deal Monday after the Cubs released him, and the other was the team’s third-best prospect according to Baseball America.
There is no denying Lazaro Montes’ ceiling as one of the most powerful bats anywhere in baseball. On Aug. 22 in a game against the Sacramento River Cats, Montes cracked a single that left the bat at 116.3 miles an hour. Just 11 players have done that in the majors this year, and that list is something of a who’s who of the hardest sluggers in the game: the worst hitter of that bunch this year is Vladimir Guerrero Jr., whose bizarre inability to hit the ball over the fence despite his eminent skill has led to a .679 OPS; he’s also the only one of those 11 hitters to sport a slugging percentage less than .400 this year.
That set of players has a fair bit more variation in their on-base percentages, however. Coby Mayo’s .284 means that his extra-base hits only improve him to something of a league average hitter on the whole, whereas Yordan Alvarez’ ridiculous .433 OBP highlights a hitting line that would fit in with Barry Bonds’ prime. At the top level, the difference is made by walks; Mayo walks just 7.1% of the time whereas Alvarez walks 15.8% of the time. Underlying this, however, are the items of plate discipline and contact rate; plate discipline to turn pitches outside of the zone into balls and walks and contact rate to force pitchers to avoid Broadway.
Here is where the question lies for Montes.
“Every season, you’re learning more,” the 21-year-old said a couple weeks after his call-up to Triple-A. “Every year, you’re learning more things that help you be more consistent. Not being perfect, because only God is perfect, but yeah, finding yourself, figuring yourself out more, and achieving that consistency you want.”
Noah Igbinoghene Among Several Ex-Seahawks to Land With New Teams
While the NFL institutes a hard deadline for teams to get their rosters down to 53 players after the conclusion of the preseason, the churning of rosters across the league continues for several days leading up to Week 1.
For Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider, making as many transactions as possible post-cutdown day has been a source of pride for the organization, as he believes it to be an integral part of building the best roster and practice squad possible. As rules have changed, so has the strategy for the reigning Executive of the Year, including leaning in on the ability to place as many as six vested veterans with four or more years of experience on the practice squad, allowing the team to protect more of their talented young players from the waiver wire as a result.
On that front, the Seahawks terminated the contracts of eight veterans as part of Sunday’s roster bludgeoning, including cornerback Trevon Diggs, safety D’Anthony Bell, and running back Velus Jones Jr., hoping to retain as many of those players who weren’t exposed to waivers as possible either on the practice squad or re-signing to the active roster.
“Having the six veterans on the practice squad has enabled us to not expose certain players to the waiver wire. And yeah, it's a strategy for the initial 53 cut,” Schneider explained after Sunday’s initial cuts. “And then as well as what we're going to look like in the middle of October and then trying to be as strong as we possibly can and as deep as we possibly can with a combination of older and younger players down the stretch, end of November, December, January, hopefully February.”
Will Apple Cup Continue Past 2028? Like Everything Else in College Football, It’s Complicated
With its future uncertain, the Apple Cup kicks off this Sunday as the season opener for both Washington and Washington State.
There’s a lot in that lede that would have sounded absurd a few years ago. Welcome to college football in 2026, a time in which traditions are maintained — as long as they come with maximum revenue streams.
Washington State's Defensive Ends Lead New Look Defense as Apple Cup Approaches
When Washington State takes on the Washington Huskies next Sunday in the Apple Cup, the Cougars will have a new look on the defensive side of the ball.
After losing several players from last season’s defense to transfers and graduation, there will be plenty of new faces looking to make an impact. With Trent Bray coming over from Oregon State to take over as Washington State’s defensive coordinator, the Cougars are counting on several new players to help lead the defense.
Two of those players will line up on the edge, with transfers Matyus McLain and Linus Zunk expected to play major roles at defensive end.
Both players have received positive reviews throughout fall camp and will be looking to make an immediate impact as Washington State begins a new era defensively.
Gonzaga Women's Soccer Drops Tightly Contested Match With Seattle U 3-2
Wrapping up a three-game road trip against a former WCC foe, Gonzaga women’s soccer (2-3-1) nearly escaped the stretch away from Luger Field without suffering a loss. But in a match that could’ve gone either way, it was Seattle U (3-1-2) that pulled away in the end, besting the Zags 3-2 with a late goal.
There were a couple of missed opportunities for GU offensively, but it will likely be kicking itself on the defensive lapses that led to all three Redhawk goals. Two of Seattle U’s scores came courtesy of set pieces, and the game-winner was notched after a bad gamble on the Bulldogs’ backline.
Weathering the storm overall since its last home game, Gonzaga logged a 3-1 win at New Mexico before drawing with No. 11 Washington 1-1. This latest result, however, leaves a bad taste in the team’s mouth after being so buttoned up in their two previous contests.
The Zags dominated the pace during the first 10 minutes of play, generating three corner kicks in that span. On that final CK, Amelia Severn crossed the ball from the left side to the front post, where freshman midfielder Sienna Jenson was positioned. Jenson attempted a header, and Redhawks keeper Rachael Remnet made a great initial play, stretching to get a hand on the ball for the save. But the ricochet rolled right to sophomore forward Kalia Franklin, who tapped it in for her first collegiate goal and an early GU 1-0 advantage.
Seahawks Sign Trevon Diggs, 16 Others to Practice Squad
Nearly 24 hours after tabbing their initial 53-man roster for the upcoming start of the regular season, the Seattle Seahawks brought back several familiar faces as part of a 17-player practice squad on Monday, including veteran cornerback Trevon Diggs and four of their 2026 draft picks.
Diggs, a former First-Team All-Pro who signed with Seattle in mid-August, made his team debut in the preseason finale at Kansas City on August 28 and recorded an interception on the second drive of the game. But with only a handful of practices under his belt, the Seahawks terminated his contract as a vested veteran as part of cutdown day moves, with general manager John Schneider indicating that the organization had a plan in place to continue getting the former Alabama star fully up to speed and expected him to return in quick order as a member of the practice squad.
“He came in a little bit late and he's kind of just getting going,” Schneider said of Diggs on Sunday at the VMAC. “He's just kind of just getting ramped up, as you saw the other night, just getting his legs under him. But he feels he's confident and we're excited to get him going and see how far he can take this thing. He's really bought into like the culture and the guys and the staff and Karl [Scott] and Neiko [Thorpe] and those guys. So it's been pretty cool to see.”
Jedd Fisch, Huskies Target Four In-State Stars in Loaded 2029 Recruiting Class
In-state recruiting has been a fixture for Washington Huskies head coach Jedd Fisch since he arrived at Montlake two years ago. He has secured a commitment from the best player in the evergreen state in consecutive years.
“It’s important to us to get the best players in the state to stay here, and to get back-to-back No. 1 players in the state. It’s critical.”
Combining the chance of playing for their local school and getting an opportunity to play early will carry a lot of sway with these recruits. 247Sports recently listed four Huskies on its preseason Freshman All-America watch list. This highlights the recruiting angle Fisch gets to pitch to recruits, as they will get the chance to play as true freshmen.
WATCH: Reign Control Tempo, Down Dash at Home
The Seattle Reign looked much more dominant than the 1-0 scoreline suggested in Sunday’s win over the Houston Dash at Lumen Field.
The Reign outshot Houston 17-4, winning the expected-goal battle 1.8-0.2, but managed just one goal in the 52nd minute as Maddie Dahlien scored off a rare missed clearance from Dash keeper Jane Campbell. In the game, Dahlien took five shots to generate 0.7 xG on her own (per FotMob), but was unable to capitalize on multiple breakaway chances to create what head coach Laura Harvey believes could’ve been a blowout win.
Seattle, now 9-8-4 and holding onto the eighth and final NWSL playoff spot, notched its fifth result in its last six fixtures. But after the game, Dahlien and coach Laura Harvey acknowledged the Reign’s final product hasn’t been at its post-World Cup levels — Seattle has gone three games without scoring multiple goals after doing so in five prior matches.
Defensively, the Reign returned star midfielder Sam Meza after she missed three games with injury and picked up their sixth clean sheet of the season. Center back Phoebe McClernon recovered to stop Houston counters early on, allowing for the Reign to press forward without worry for the remainder of the game. To preserve the win, Seattle was able to keep a Houston squad that is among the best at scoring late off the board entirely.
Emerald City Spectrum reporter Qasim Ali breaks down Sunday’s result and what it means as the Reign get into their final stretch of 2026.
Cutdown Takeaways: Montorie Foster Jr. Among Seahawks to Earn Spot on Initial 53-Man Roster
Fielding questions at the podium mere minutes after the Seattle Seahawks announced their final roster cuts on Sunday, general manager John Schneider caught himself mid-answer and hesitated for a split second.
In the midst of discussing second-year receiver Montorie Foster Jr.’s surprising ascendance to earn a place on the final 53-man roster, Schneider decided to choose his words more carefully, not wanting to live in absolutes thinking back to the many players who have come and gone through Seattle’s facility since his arrival in 2010. But after a moment to gather his thoughts, he wielded the type of praise worthy of the former Michigan State standout’s unexpected rise this summer during training camp and the preseason, comparing his performance to the reigning Offensive Player of the Year.
“I've never seen a player - I don't know how I say that. It's hard to remember a player at the receiver position that's improved as quickly as he has,” Schneider gushed. “I told Jax [Smith-Njigba], I felt like he like just took his film and just completely studied it or just followed him around for all spring or something.”
This time a year ago, Foster found himself back in Ohio without a team after the Seahawks released him with an injury designation early in his first training camp, preparing to begin substitute teaching at a nearby high school and not anywhere close to being in the same breath as Smith-Njigba or any other receiver for that matter. While he continued to train in preparation for his next opportunity, he also applied for a real estate license, doing his due diligence readying for life after football even as he remained confident he would get another shot between the lines.
Sure enough, the Seahawks came calling in late December, offering Foster a spot on the practice squad. He quickly hopped on a flight to Seattle, spending the last two weeks of the regular season and the entirety of the team’s historic playoff run on what coach Mike Macdonald calls the “ready” squad, earning a Super Bowl ring and a future/reserve deal days later.
Instant Takeaways: Storm Fall Back to Earth in Blowout Loss to Sparks
The short-handed Seattle Storm started and finished poorly en route to a 90-74 blowout loss at the hands of the Los Angeles Sparks on Sunday, Aug. 30, at Climate Pledge Arena.
Seattle (8-32), which is missing Awa Fam due to international play and Natisha Hiedeman due to injury, couldn’t get much going for most of the game. Flau’jae Johnson led the Storm with 19 points, while Dominique Malonga totaled 17 points, 15 rebounds and two blocks.
Zia Cooke, though she did most of her damage in the first half, still finished with 14 points, four rebounds and three steals.
Los Angeles (15-25) was led by 23 points and 12 rebounds from former Storm star Nneka Ogwumike. Rae Burrell totaled 22 points, four rebounds and three assists, and the Sparks won their second-straight game for the first time since early July.
Analysis: Breaking Down Seahawks’ Reported Roster Cuts, Cutdown Day Moves
Moving one step closer to their season opener against the New England Patriots, the Seattle Seahawks will trim their roster down to the NFL-mandated 53 players by 3 PM PT on Sunday.
Needing to move 37 players off of the roster, most of these moves will come through cuts and terminated contracts for vested veterans with at least four years of accrued NFL service time, but Seahawks general manager John Schneider has a history of swinging trades leading up to the cutdown deadline. Seattle also could place up to two players on injured reserve without them counting against the 53-man limit who would be eligible to return after missing a minimum of four games, creating another mechanism to utilize as a means for retaining players.
As the Seahawks execute tough decisions on who to keep and who to let go as they build their initial 53-man roster, I will be breaking down every reported move leading up to Sunday’s deadline.
Analysis: Ranking Kraken’s Top Five Prospects Heading Into 2026-2027 Season
The Seattle Kraken are set to begin their preseason schedule in roughly three weeks. The franchise has undergone something of a facelift this offseason, starting with Ron Francis stepping down as president, giving Jason Botterill a larger role than just general manager.
With that change at the top of command, the Kraken made a few trades and signings that will make the NHL roster look a little different to begin this season than it did 12 months ago.
One of the biggest moves the Kraken made was drafting defenseman Chase Reid seventh overall in the 2026 NHL Draft. He instantly legitimizes the prospect pipeline for Seattle, a group that ranks sixth-best in the NHL according to The Athletic’s Corey Pronman. They have the talent in the organization to build into a winner. The big questions are: can the Kraken develop them properly and which prospects are at the top of the list?
One of the biggest moves the Kraken made was drafting defenseman Chase Reid seventh overall in the 2026 NHL Draft. He instantly legitimizes the prospect pipeline for Seattle. One that ranks sixth-best in the NHL according to The Athletic’s Corey Pronman. They have the talent in the organization to build into a winner. The big questions are- can the Kraken develop them properly and which prospects are at the top of the list?
WATCH: Seahawks Make Signing of Embattled CB Terrion Arnold Official
Two weeks after reportedly agreeing to terms with the former Alabama star on a contract, the Seattle Seahawks have finally inked third-year cornerback Terrion Arnold, though it could be quite some time before he actually sees the field with his new team.
Emerald City Spectrum reporter Corbin Smith dives into the latest on the Arnold saga as the former first round pick will land on the Commissioner's Exempt List immediately upon signing, discusses when he may potentially be available to practice or play for Seattle down the line as he deals with legal proceedings in Florida due to eight felony charges, and breaks down difficult cornerback decisions looming at cutdown day even without Arnold being eligible right now.
Following Xaivian Lee News, Skylar Wicks Decommits From Gonzaga
For about 20 hours, the Gonzaga Bulldogs had all 15 roster spots filled for the 2026-27 season after receiving a commitment from Xaivian Lee. But the Zags have to secure at least one more player before their regular-season opener against Purdue on Nov. 2.
Skylar Wicks, who committed to GU in June, is decommitting from the program and reopening his recruitment, per 247Sports’ Dushawn London. The 26-year-old spent last season at Saint Francis and was slated to make Spokane his sixth different stop in the last seven years. However, Lee joining the Bulldogs’ backcourt would’ve directly impacted his minutes, and the 6-6 guard has apparently decided to play his last collegiate season elsewhere.
This isn’t a total surprise, and during one of the most chaotic offseasons in program history, Gonzaga is familiar with needing to act accordingly in addressing its personnel.
Joveljić Picks Up Brace in Debut, Sounders Manage Thrilling Draw With Solid Chicago
It was the kind of debut every Seattle Sounders fan dreamed of for their new striker, Dejan Joveljić.
Facing a Chicago Fire squad that signed European legend Robert Lewandowski recently, Joveljić scored a brace in a 90-minute game to combat two Chicago goals and secure a 2-2 draw. For a Sounders team that is just two games removed from an eight-game MLS losing streak, the 7-9-5 squad splitting points with an 11-4-6 and in-form Chicago squad was a solid result. For one, Joveljić’s big game marked Seattle’s first time scoring two goals in a game since May 13.
Still, a missed late chance from Albert Rusnák that would've put Seattle on top 3-1 was one of a few moments that left Seattle skipper Brian Schmetzer wanting more out of the performance.
"This draw feels like a loss. Because of the way we played, the potential that was there… we need to obviously close that game out," Schmetzer said. "It hurts, but that locker room feels like they have something."
The locker room certainly has a striker it can count on.
Joveljić scored in close in the 12th minute before giving Seattle the lead back on a showstopping shot to the top-left corner in the 48th. It was, almost without a doubt, the best strike by a Sounder all season.
Storm Remain Steadfast in Approach For Final 5 Games
On the surface, the Seattle Storm don’t have much left to play for this season. They have only won eight games and have long been eliminated from playoff contention. But that’s not how the team is approaching its final five games.
“We know that we can either end the season and look at ourselves like, ‘Wow, we didn't get better at nothing,’ or we can end the season and be like, ‘Look at this growth that we had, look at the things that we overcame,’” Storm rookie guard Flau’jae Johnson said after the team’s 90-78 win over the Toronto Tempo on Aug. 26.
“We got that ‘it’s still 0-0’ mentality, and we’re going to continue to get better.”
Final Projection: Who Makes Seahawks 53-Man Roster as Super Bowl Rematch Looms?
Finishing off the preseason with a 9-9 tie against the Kansas City Chiefs, the Seattle Seahawks can now shift their attention towards beginning their Super Bowl title defense with just 11 days until opening the regular season with a much-anticipated rematch against the New England Patriots at Lumen Field.
Before the team lowers their latest championship banner on September 9, however, the Seahawks have to whittle their roster down to 53 players before Sunday’s 3 PM PT deadline. This means general manager John Schneider and the front office will have to orchestrate moves to remove 37 players from the roster through cuts, trades, or injured reserve designations over the next 24 hours and change.
Per NFL rules, players with less than four accrued NFL seasons will be subject to waivers if released, allowing all 31 teams an opportunity to claim them. If the player goes unclaimed, they will be free to sign with the Seahawks practice squad or sign with another active roster/practice squad as unrestricted free agents. For players with four or more accrued seasons, however, “vested veterans” are not subject to waivers until after the trade deadline, allowing them to immediately become free agents.
The Seahawks have used that discrepancy to their advantage in recent seasons, including signing receiver Cody White and cornerback Shaquill Griffin immediately to their practice squad last year with neither player subject to waivers. It’s possible Schneider could look to use the same strategy with a couple of players this year as a means to keep players who would otherwise be subject to waivers and potentially get plucked up by another team.
Looking towards Sunday’s deadline, who will ultimately make the Seahawks final 53-man roster?
Huskies Depth Chart: A Look At The Expected 2026 Starters, Backups
Eight days from now, 22 players will become official offensive or defensive starters for the Washington Huskies football team.
The Washington football program might release an official depth chart. If there is one, it will likely contain some inaccuracies and be partially incomplete. We’ll see the word “Or” multiple times for a real position battle, but more likely to make the opposition prepare for multiple players at certain spots. Let’s cut through the mystery and figure out who the starters and key backups are for the Huskies this season, and in particular for the Sept. 6 Apple Cup against Washington State.
Hancock, Mariners Get Sunk by Flock of Blue Jays Big Flies, Own Rudderless Offense
If the Mariners drive this busted up tractor all the way to the postseason, Fernando Alonso himself should bestow their accolade.
Before the All-Star Break, the Mariners could have perhaps been considered a slightly above mediocre team that was underperforming to the level of a slightly below mediocre team. They had scored 392 runs and allowed 376 runs, not to the level of their supposed World Series contention but better than what has since followed.
With the conclusion of Seattle’s 8-1 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday, the M’s have now been outscored 215-135; with the second fewest runs in the majors ahead of only the Angels and the third most runs allowed behind only the A’s and Rockies. Their -80 run differential since the All-Star break is up there with said Athletics among the worst in the game, and if their .299 Pythagorean winning percentage would be a 48-114 record if it were applied evenly to a full season.
Their actual 16-22 second half record (instead of their Pythagorean 11-27) would be a 68-94 season extrapolated out. Not that such a performance is anywhere close to what they needed, but ever so barely, their overperformance - it could be euphemized to optimal run distribution - has kept them in the hunt for an AL West title. Even at a queasy 64-71, they are four games back of the Astros in the AL West.
If their play against their onetime ALCS rival is any indication, that last lick of resurgent energy could be all but spent. They are long since out of games to punt away, with a butcher’s bill dozens of contests long that shows no signs of letting up before the M’s can have a snowball’s chance of paying it off.
Incredibly, those metaphors were far less tortured than the team’s efforts on Friday night.
Emerson Hancock gave up two homers and five runs as his sweeper took a dip, with an injury scare to boot.
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