Breaking Down Seahawks’ Initial 17-Man Practice Squad

Seattle Seahawks defensive tackle Quinton Bohanna listens to instructions prior to a drill at training camp. Credit: Corbin Smith/Emerald City Spectrum

After setting their initial 53-man roster on Tuesday, the Seattle Seahawks have assembled their first practice squad of the season, signing 17 players on Wednesday.

Under revised league rules, NFL teams can now sign up to six players to their practice squad without experience limitations, and the Seahawks quickly signed defensive tackle Quinton Bohanna as the first to check off that box. They also took advantage the flexibility to add a 17th player by bringing back undrafted rookie center Federico Maranges, who is part of the International Player Pathway Program.

As is the case with the 53-man roster, Seattle will continue to churn the practice squad with more moves likely coming later this week. Here’s a look at the first 17-player roster:

Offense

Damien Martinez

A hard-nosed, physical runner, Martinez rushed for 84 yards and a touchdown in three preseason games after rushing for over 1,000 yards in each of his final two collegiate seasons, but lost out on the third running back job to George Holani in part due to lack of special teams contributions and a less refined skill set as a pass catcher. With Ken Walker III still dealing with a sore foot, depth will be key for Seattle in the backfield and the seventh-round pick out of Miami could be a candidate to see action sooner rather than later as a game day elevation.

Jacardia Wright

Surprising as an undrafted rookie from Missouri State, Wright had an excellent training camp and preseason, rumbling his way to 147 rushing yards and a touchdown, including a 61-yard run against the Packers in the exhibition finale. He didn’t get a chance to show off his pass-catching ability in games and he has limited special teams experience, but at 220 pounds, he offers a lot of traits that the coaching staff prefers out of the backfield and will provide extra depth at the position that should serve useful as the season unfolds.

Anthony Tyus III

Despite signing midway through training camp, Tyus did enough with his limited opportunities to come back on the practice squad, returning two kickoffs for 58 yards on special teams and rushing for 55 yards. With Martinez and Wright already on the 17-man roster, he will likely be one of the first ones to depart when inevitable roster shuffling occurs in upcoming days, but the team will have him on speed dial if injuries strike in the backfield.

Ricky White III

White, a seventh-round pick out of UNLV, wasn’t able to win a roster spot with returning veterans Jake Bobo, Dareke Young, and Cody White outperforming him in training camp and the preseason, but the organization still believes he will make an impact on offense and special teams down the road. For now, the coaching staff will get to continue working with him on refining his route running and he will have a chance to keep growing in Klint Kubiak’s system with the potential to suit up at some point in 2025.

Tyrone Broden

Developing a strong rapport with fellow rookie Jalen Milroe during the offseason program and training camp, the speedy Broden didn’t do a lot of damage in the preseason with just one catch for 15 yards on five targets, but he did more than enough on the practice field for the Seahawks to retain him for further development. Continuing to carve out a role on special teams will be the key to him potentially seeing action in regular season games, but his chemistry with Milroe bears watching for the future.

Federico Maranges

Signed as an undrafted free agent out of Florida Atlantic, Maranges played extensive snaps in the preseason as Seattle’s clear No. 3 center option. Since he’s considered part of the NFL’s International Player Pathway Program, the team can add him without using one of its 16 practice squad slots, allowing coach John Benton and the rest of the staff to continue developing him on the practice field behind Jalen Sundell and Olu Oluwatimi.

Sataoa Laumea

Coming off a rookie season where he started the final six games at right guard, Laumea disappointed in his second training camp, falling down the depth chart to the point where he was taking third-team reps at left guard in the final week of the preseason. But with Christian Haynes on injured reserve and rookie Bryce Cabeldue winning a roster spot, the Seahawks opted to bring the former sixth-round pick back to see if they can get him back on track with hopes of suiting up again when needed.

Amari Kight

Formerly a top recruit at Alabama, Kight took his talents to UCF for his final two years of college ball before signing undrafted with the Seahawks. Demonstrating the versatility to play both tackle spots with equal proficiency, he only allowed two pressures on 55 pass blocking reps in the preseason, which may have contributed to the team trading Mike Jerrell to the Falcons on Tuesday. For now, he will be a fun project for Benton and the coaching staff to keep working with as a possible swing tackle candidate down the line.

Defense

Quinton Bohanna

Having extensive ties with defensive coordinator Aden Durde, who served as his defensive line coach when the two were in Dallas together in 2021 and 2022, Bohanna had a strong training camp and preseason for the Seahawks, drawing praise from the coaching staff for dropping 15 pounds and showing up in excellent shape. With Johnathan Hankins out for at least the first four games on the Non-Football Injury list, the former Kentucky standout should be a prime candidate to be elevated to the active roster for the season opener, if he isn’t signed back to the 53-man roster by that point.

Brandon Pili

Another nose tackle returning to the Seahawks after being plucked off waivers from another team last year, Pili had an outstanding preseason, including blowing up a run play for a safety in a win over the Chiefs at Lumen Field. He ended the exhibition season dealing with an undisclosed injury, per Macdonald, but he wasn’t released with any injury designations and like Bohanna, he will be an option to elevate early in the season from the practice squad to play significant snaps in Hankins’ absence.

J.R. Singleton

Heralding from a strong Iowa State program, Singleton started to make a name for himself during the latter stages of his first NFL training camp, building a rapport with fellow undrafted rookie Jared Ivey, who made the initial 53-man roster. He closed out the preseason with a bang, registering a sack and two tackles for loss along with a forced fumble against the Packers, showing off his penetrating ability as a 3-tech, and if he continues to ascend on the practice field, he could see some snaps at some point in 2025.

Anthony Campbell

Despite limited production at Miami, Campbell latched on with the Seahawks as an undrafted signee in April and like Singleton, he seemed to turn the light switch on midway through his first camp, starting to dominate 1-on-1 reps and make a few splash plays in scrimmage periods. He wasn’t near as disruptive in preseason games with three total tackles, but at 6-7, 300 pounds, he has the physical tools to develop into a rotational defensive lineman in time with the positional versatility to play in multiple alignments.

Jalan Gaines

Defensively, Gaines had a quiet preseason after signing with the Seahawks as an undrafted rookie out of Illinois State, registering just one tackle and one quarterback pressure in three games. However, he shined on special teams, blocking the game-winning field goal attempt by the Raiders in the exhibition opener at Lumen Field. With great burst off the edge, he’s a project pass rusher at this stage, but Seattle saw enough to warrant a longer look.

Patrick O’Connell

Demonstrating positive growth in his third season as an off-ball linebacker, O’Connell finished third on Seattle’s roster with 12 combined tackles in the preseason, flying all over the field to make plays against the run. He also yielded under a 50 percent completion rate in coverage, showing development in that area as well. Offering regular season game experience on special teams, the addition of Chazz Surratt will render him to insurance duty for now, but expect him to play some snaps sooner rather than later on Sundays.

Jamie Sheriff

In year one of his transition from being solely an edge rusher to a hybrid off-ball linebacker, Sheriff generated four tackles, three pressures, and a sack in two preseason games, flashing in brief spurts while still battling growing pains at a position he had never played before previously. Macdonald and his staff want to see that development through, especially with him still being a viable threat rushing upfield off the edge, and there’s a chance he could be elevated in the early stages of the season to suit up for a game or two.

Shemar Jean-Charles

Signed to a one-year deal in free agency, Jean-Charles missed almost the entirety of training camp and didn’t play in the preseason due to injury, which led to his release. But he has been a quality special teams player in the past for the Packers and Saints and as long as he doesn’t have any setbacks from his injury, he will now have a chance to get his legs back underneath him and compete for possible game day elevations when special teams reinforcements are needed.

Jerrick Reed II

Just two years ago, Reed, a sixth-round pick out of New Mexico, emerged as one of Seattle’s best special teams players during his rookie season before a torn ACL ended his campaign abruptly. Since returning from the injury, he hasn’t been quite the same player, though he did start to resemble his former self more as training camp and the preseason unfolded this month. His talents on special teams alone made him a priority to re-sign and he could be a candidate for a game day elevation early in the season for that reason.