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?