5 Burning Questions For Seahawks Approaching 53-Man Roster Cuts

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The respective futures of Christian Haynes (64) and Marquez Valdes-Scantling (1) remain uncertain with the Seattle Seahawks, while a Jadeveon Clowney (90) reunion may still be in the cards. [/caption]

Shifting gears from training camp and the preseason to a Week 1 home date with the San Francisco 49ers, the Seattle Seahawks will be tasked with trimming their roster from 90 to 53 players before the August 26 deadline.

As is the case with every team in the league, general manager John Schneider and coach Mike Macdonald will have to make a number of difficult decisions cutting nearly 40 players to reach the limit. But there will be other action at play as well with Schneider putting other teams on speed dial looking for trade opportunities, Seattle scanning the waiver wire for upgrades let go by other teams, and quality veterans who opted to skip out on camp looking to latch on with teams for the season.

With the 1 PM PT deadline looming, here are five key questions for the Seahawks to answer leading up to cutdown day and the start of the regular season:

1. Will the Seahawks make any surprising cuts whittling down to 53?

There may be some subjectivity to the word “surprise” when it comes to roster cuts, but usually, releasing preseason stars draws the most ire from fans. In the past, players such as Troymaine Pope, Kasen Williams, and most recently Jamie Sheriff didn’t make the initial 53-man roster despite having outstanding exhibition seasons, and under that criteria, undrafted rookie defensive end Jared Ivey would be the easiest choice as far as deserving players who could still potentially hit the waiver wire. To a lesser extent, running back Jacardia Wright and defensive tackle J.R. Singleton could be lumped in that category, though it wouldn’t be surprising for either to be released.

This year, surprises will likely come in the form of former high draft picks or starters receiving a pink slip, especially along the offensive line. Christian Haynes has not been able to seize his opportunity to win a starting job at right guard either of the past two seasons and patience may be wearing thin with the coaching staff, while Sataoa Laumea took a huge step backward this summer after showing promise in six starts late last season as a rookie, leaving the door open for both to be released. A high-priced veteran with significant guaranteed money such as receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling could also be on the way out after the emergence of Tory Horton in training camp, but time will tell if the organization goes that route.

2. Which injured players, if any, could be activated to take a spot away?

There’s less drama with this question than there could have been after Seattle activated outside linebacker Uchenna Nwosu from the PUP list prior to the preseason finale, allowing him to start ramping up activity on the practice field with sights on returning to game action sooner rather than later. This suggests the team expects him to play in the first couple of games, so barring a major setback, he will be on the initial 53-man roster, eliminating a spot that would have been available if he remained inactive for the first four or more games.

Currently, the Seahawks have only two players - nose tackle Johnathan Hankins and rookie defensive end Rylie Mills - who could be eligible for activation prior to the start of the season. Macdonald has been coy when it comes to updates on Hankins, who has been nursing a back injury and missed the entirety of training camp, leaving his status completely up in the air. While he could be back in the next two weeks leading up to the opener, it’d be a shocker if Mills returned before the middle of the season at this point as he continues to rehab from a torn ACL suffered at Notre Dame in January. Activating Hankins would cost someone a roster spot, but at this stage, it seems more likely that he’s out the first four games.

3. On the flip side, which injured players could be deactivated to create a spot?

Though the Seahawks may not have many players on the NFI or PUP list who could come back to steal a spot, there is the potential for an extra spot or two to be available with short-term injured reserve designations. On offense, Haynes missed Seattle’s preseason finale with a pectoral injury and though Macdonald confirmed that the injury wasn’t as significant as they initially thought, that doesn’t necessarily mean he won’t need to miss at least a few weeks. Coupling that development with the reported interest in former Denver/Minnesota starter Dalton Risner and an injured reserve trip after making the initial 53 would not be a surprise at all.

Away from Haynes, defensive end Mike Morris also got dinged up during joint practice with the Packers last week and did not play in the preseason finale. If the injury isn’t a significant one at all, then he should be on the 53, but the Seahawks will have to consider an injured reserve possibility if he’s expected to miss multiple weeks. The presence of Ivey would make weathering that loss a bit easier, at least in the short term, and not having him on the roster in the first four weeks would allow another nose tackle such as Quinton Bohanna or Brandon Pili or another defensive tackle such as Singleton to be re-signed and receive a spot to open the regular season.

As far as wild cards go, Macdonald didn’t sound overly alarmed about Horton’s ankle injury that prevented him from suiting up for joint practice or the preseason finale last week. But if the team winds up having concerns about his availability for the first month of the season, an injured reserve stop could also be in the cards for him, which would make keeping Valdes-Scantling more probable.

4. How many trades will Schneider orchestrate leading up to - or after - the deadline?

Few general managers enjoy wheeling and dealing more than Schneider, and that’s not limited to the start of the offseason in March or the trade deadline in October. Last August, he swung a pair of trades, sending cornerback Mike Jackson to Carolina in one deal and shipping a sixth-round pick to Jacksonville for defensive end Trevis Gipson two days later. In 2021, he made two separate trades for cornerbacks John Reid and Sidney Jones. His most notable deal in the past six years came in 2019, however, when he dealt a third-round pick to the Texans for Jadeveon Clowney, bringing the former No. 1 overall pick to town.

Interestingly, Schneider didn’t make any August or September trades in 2022 and 2023, so he hasn’t been quite as active in the past half decade as he was in his first 10 years calling the shots. Still, there’s no question he will be working the phones, including potentially looking for a suitor needing a veteran receiver that could be the right partner to deal away Valdes-Scantling for a conditional late round pick. If healthy, Haynes also could be a possible trade chip, while depth at cornerback and safety opens up possibilities at those two positions as well. For those hoping to see him deal for Micah Parsons or Trey Hendrickson, don’t hold your breath, but making a move to upgrade a position of need or bolster depth remains very much on the table.

5. Where do veteran free agents fit into the game plan?

While fans pray for Hendrickson or Parsons to join Seattle’s formidable defense, Schneider has options at his disposal to improve the football team without dealing away draft picks or absorbing a massive market-setting contract. The reported interest in Risner now makes sense on multiple fronts with Haynes not at 100 percent health and guard depth looking quite shaky when reserves were called into extensive action in Green Bay on Saturday. Though he isn’t going to be competing for a starting job with Grey Zabel and Anthony Bradford penned into the lineup, the chance to be a swing guard may be his best available opportunity right now and at minimum, his arrival could turn up the heat on Bradford to ensure the third-year blocker stays motivated.

But the signing that still makes the most sense for both the team and the player revolves around Clowney, who remains unsigned and has previous ties with Macdonald from when he played with the Ravens in 2023. He enjoyed one of his best seasons in Baltimore, nearly hitting double-digit sacks while producing 19 quarterback hits, two forced fumbles, and five swatted passes, proving to be quite effective as an edge setter in Macdonald’s scheme. The impending return of Nwosu may make the need for him seem less urgent, but given Nwosu and Demarcus Lawrence’s recent injury history and Macdonald’s desire to keep players fresh in a rotation, Schneider would be wise to stay in touch and see if Clowney can be brought on board to further solidify the position group.