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.
Where Do Jacardia Wright, Bubble Players Stand as Seahawks Approach 53-Man Cutdown?
On the heels of a 19-16 loss to the Tennessee Titans in their second preseason game, the Seattle Seahawks have one dress rehearsal left in Kansas City before final cutdown day, putting a ton of pressure on several players aiming to make the 53-man roster.
Emerald City Spectrum reporter Corbin Smith examines the cases of 12 different 'Hawks, including a pair of running backs and receivers still entrenched in a tight competition, for making the team and where things stand with one more preseason game left to play at Arrowhead Stadium.
Grand Ole Audition: Seahawks to Watch in Second Preseason Game at Titans
While starters won't play once again for the Seattle Seahawks in their second exhibition tuneup, Sunday's matchup against the Tennessee Titans still carries plenty of weight for several players sitting on the roster bubble.
Emerald City Spectrum reporter Corbin Smith breaks down which players he will be watching most closely in Nashville, including a pair of backup running backs set to see a heavy workload, a handful of EDGE defenders who need to pick up their play after underwhelming preseason debuts, and the duo of Montorie Foster Jr. and Cody White being under the microscope after Jake Bobo's season-ending knee injury.
5 Burning Questions as Seahawks Face Titans in Second Preseason Game
Taking their training camp show on the road for detour to Nashville, the Seattle Seahawks held a spirited joint practice with the Tennessee Titans on Friday, likely meaning that no noteworthy starters will play for Mike Macdonald’s squad in Sunday’s second preseason game.
However, that doesn’t mean that the second dress rehearsal at Nissan Stadium isn’t still an important one. Even if Sam Darnold, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Leonard Williams, and other stars stay on the sidelines with a jersey and ball cap on, plenty of roster spots remain up for grabs in all three phases with Seattle’s matchup against Tennessee providing another valuable opportunity to impress the coaching staff with cutdown day now less than two weeks away.
Looking to turn in a far better performance than they did in a 17-7 loss to the Cowboys on their home turf last weekend, here are five key questions for the Seahawks heading into their latest preseason tuneup against the Titans:
1. Will Seattle's quarterback duo of Drew Lock and Jalen Milroe bounce back after underwhelming openers?
Putting up just seven points on the scoreboard to kick off exhibition season, there were far more hands in the cookie jar of offensive dysfunction for the Seahawks than just Lock and Milroe, who each completed north of 60% of their passes but failed to generate much yardage with their passing opportunities, combining to average a dismal 3.6 yards per attempt against the Cowboys. As subs started to rotate into the lineup, the offensive line progressively got worse as the game wore on with the third-team unit allowing consistent pressure on both quarterbacks, including Milroe getting sacked twice in the second half. Penalties also proved to be a major issue, including reserve tackle Logan Brown being flagged twice for crucial fourth down holding penalties.
Seahawks Lose Jake Bobo to ‘Serious’ Knee Injury During Joint Practice With Titans
From team bonding to the opportunity to receive valuable, yet controlled reps against starters from another team, joint practices offer plenty of benefits for NFL teams. But as the Seattle Seahawks learned the hard way on Friday, they can also come with unexpected costs on the injury front.
Per Gregg Bell of the Tacoma News Tribune, Seahawks veteran receiver Jake Bobo landed awkwardly while trying to make a contested catch while covered by one of Tennessee’s linebackers, suffering a “bad looking” leg injury. The team ended up carting him off the field, always an ominous sign, and coach Mike Macdonald indicated the the injury looked to be a significant one for the fourth-year wideout after practice concluded.
“Our heart goes out to Jake Bobo,” Macdonald said, confirming that players from both teams took a knee to say a prayer for Bobo after the injury happened. “It seems like it’s going to be a serious knee [injury]. We’re going to get it imaged, but early returns, it looks like a long-term injury, so that’s unfortunate.”
In addition, as reported by Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times, starting right tackle Abraham Lucas walked off the field with trainers, though it appears that was for cramping and not due to an actual injury.
Has Separation Season Arrived for Montorie Foster Jr. Entering Seahawks’ Joint Practice vs. Titans?
Turning heads since the start of training camp and becoming one of the stars of HBO’s Hard Knocks, Montorie Foster Jr. has evolved from a feel-good story to a legit threat to earn a spot on the Seahawks 53-man roster.
Emerald City Spectrum reporter Corbin Smith discusses how the former Michigan State standout has kept stacking quality days on the practice field and how he could create the last push of separation at a crowded receiver position needed to secure a spot on the 53 with a strong showing against the Titans in Nashville in the upcoming Friday joint practice and Sunday’s second preseason game.
Stock Watch: Who’s Hot, Who’s Not After Seahawks’ 17-7 Preseason Loss to Cowboys
As coach Mike Macdonald loves to say, the Seattle Seahawks value the process over the result, particularly in the preseason, but Saturday’s exhibition opener certainly didn’t live up to usual expectations in a sloppy 17-7 loss to the Dallas Cowboys at Lumen Field.
“Any time you line up in anything competitively, we’re trying to win, but right now our process needs to improve,” Macdonald said in his opening statement after the defeat. “That’s really the biggest takeaway really in both phases, on offense and defense. Our operation is not up to par, and how we’re finishing plays is not up to par. That will be a focus moving forward, but it’s good to know.”
Looking back at Saturday’s loss, which players improved their stock the most? And which ones failed to make the most of the first dress rehearsal gearing up for the regular season?
STOCK UP
Montorie Foster Jr.
Continuing a fantastic summer thus far, Foster capped off Seattle’s lone scoring drive on the opening possession reeling in a screamer from Drew Lock on a dig route for a five-yard touchdown, turning out of his break with the fastball already halfway to him as it rocketed just over the outstretched hand of a linebacker dropping in coverage. While he did have a bad drop in the fourth quarter, he quickly amended for that mistake two plays later on third down, snatching a first down reception coming back to the football on a curl route to move the chains and showing his mettle overcoming in-game adversity. He finished the night with a team-high five catches for 36 yards and those numbers could have been dramatically better if Lock would not have overthrown a potential 65-yard touchdown where the second-year wideout had come wide open down the left sideline.
Rapid Reaction: Seahawks Fizzle After Fast Start, Fall 17-7 to Cowboys in Preseason Opener
Despite a fast start to kick off the exhibition season with an opening drive touchdown, the Seattle Seahawks whiffed on multiple fourth down opportunities and the offense went ice cold for the final three quarters of play as the Dallas Cowboys earned a 17-7 victory in the preseason opener.
Rotating snaps under center, Drew Lock completed nine out of 13 passes for 40 yards and tossed a five-yard touchdown to receiver Montorie Foster Jr., while Jalen Milroe rushed for 36 yards and added 36 yards as a passer. Seemingly playing with clones on the field, linebacker Tyrice Knight stuffed the stat sheet with a team-high 10 tackles and two pass breakups, starring in the middle with mostly backups playing on defense for Seattle, while edge rusher Jalan Gaines and safety AJ Finley produced the team’s only tackles for loss.
Here are five takeaways from the preseason opener at Lumen Field:
1. A methodical drive aided by a big penalty finishes with Lock’s arm giving the Seahawks a quick lead.
Playing with all backups on the offensive side of the ball, Lock didn’t waste much time going into aggressive mode from the pocket. After a short run by George Holani and a quick completion to Jake Bobo on the first two plays of the series, the Seahawks faced 3rd and 4 and the veteran backup uncorked a deep ball down the left sideline for veteran receiver Cody White, who got grabbed by cornerback Caelan Carson from behind as the pass sailed over his head. With his progress severely impeded to prevent a big play, he drew a 19-yard pass interference penalty to extend the opening possession.
Camp Takeaways: Locker Room, Connections Key in Seahawks Decision to Sign Terrion Arnold
With ongoing legal issues at play stemming from a February incident in Florida, including eight felony charges for robbery and kidnapping, the Seattle Seahawks don’t know when - or if - Terrion Arnold will be allowed to return to the field.
But one day after reports surfaced that Seattle planned to sign Arnold, moments after wrapping up a quick walkthrough heading into Saturday’s preseason opener against Dallas, coach Mike Macdonald confirmed that the team and player have a deal in place, acknowledging that a myriad of factors led to franchise being comfortable on taking a chance on the former first round pick out of Alabama.
“I think it was an opportunity to bring on a player that we felt strongly about during the draft process,” Macdonald said. “We also understand that it's a serious situation with a legal matter. There’s a process behind it so we respect that. That’s how we’ll operate too, just letting that process play out and let the league decide if and when his return to play is. We understand that that's at play but there's an opportunity to bring him in and give him an opportunity to earn a position here.”
As Macdonald indicated earlier in the week, the third-year coach has the utmost confidence in the culture that has been built in Seattle, while several people inside and outside of the building also vouched for Arnold as part of the process.
Among those, general manager John Schneider has great respect for former Alabama coach Nick Saban, who wrote a letter in support of Arnold to the judge in Tampa at the beginning of the player’s legal case. Defensive backs coach Karl Scott, who coached under Saban for three seasons, helped recruit Arnold to Tuscaloosa before departing to accept a position with the Minnesota Vikings, while quarterback Jalen Milroe maintains a close relationship with his soon-to-be current teammate from their time together with the Crimson Tide.
‘I Can Do Everything': Montorie Foster Jr. Relishing Second Chance as Seahawks’ Biggest Camp Surprise
Taking the snap and moving the pocket slightly to his left, Jalen Milroe scanned the field midway through the Seattle Seahawks’ annual Fan Fest practice at Lumen Field, setting his back foot and launching the football deep down the left sideline.
Normally an excellent downfield passer with a powerful arm, Milroe’s throw seemed to catch a bit too much of the wrong current, running out of steam as the ball floated several yards short of his intended target in receiver Montorie Foster Jr. Most of the time, an incompletion would be the best case scenario on such a badly underthrown go ball, and with two defenders in the area, an interception almost seemed probable as the pass started to descend towards the turf.
However, showing great awareness tracking the football, Foster astutely worked back towards the pass with safety D’Anthony Bell not being privy to the ball coming up several yards short through the air. Taking advantage of Bell’s back being turned to the ball, the second-year wideout reeled the pass in along the sideline and then turned back inside, managing to sprint past two defenders before turning back upfield and outracing the rest of the converging defense for an unexpected 48-yard touchdown reception.
Becoming an expert at turning the unexpected into reality during his first full training camp with the Seahawks, Foster’s latest efforts didn’t surprise Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald, who has reached the point where he’s run out of words to describe the upstart wideout’s emergence as he continues to stack strong practice after strong practice.
“I'm seeing the same thing as you guys are,” Macdonald said of Foster, who drew praise from receiver Rashid Shaheed after Friday’s practice. “It's great. He's doing a great job for himself. He just really is. I don't have anything else to add, except he's doing a phenomenal job.”
Analysis: Observations From Seahawks’ 2026 Football Fan Fest
Taking the next step towards their upcoming regular season opener against the New England Patriots, the Seattle Seahawks welcomed fans back to Lumen Field for their annual Football Fan Fest practice on Saturday.
As they have done each of the previous two years with coach Mike Macdonald at the helm, Seattle held a full-fledged padded practice rather than a glorified scrimmage, mixing in plenty of individual drills, competitive 1-on-1 reps, and special teams time before implementing situational 11-on-11 team sessions. Crediting the 12s for showing up even with the Mariners playing next door, Macdonald felt pleased with the work his team got done in what amounted to a roughly 100-minute practice.
I really appreciate the effort that everybody took to get out. Thank you,” Macdonald said. “Having a lot of enthusiasm, just really felt the love from the 12s today. So that was really great. And then in addition to that, I think we got some really good work in. It wasn't the longest practice of all time, but we got some good stuff in, and we'll be ready to go next Saturday.”
What stood out at Seattle’s annual Fan Fest?
Camp Takeaways: Cooper Kupp, Seahawks ‘Sharpen Iron’ in Competitive Back-and-Forth 12th Practice
Throughout the constant ebbs and flows of an NFL training camp, most practices offer a clear winner between the offense and defense.
But on Friday morning, for those in attendance at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center taking in the Seattle Seahawks’ 12th practice and penultimate session open to fans, trying to determine a “winner” proved to be far more challenging with a balanced, back-and-forth effort featuring a blend of big plays on offense and turnovers generated on defense.
“Competition, that’s what these practices mean, especially at this time of camp,” receiver Rashid Shaheed told reporters moments after practice concluded. “With all the installs coming in, now it’s just about execution, going out and playing football. When we have a great offense and a great defense, we are going to see some back and forth and push. It’s just going to get us better at the end.”
What stood out from Seattle’s hyper-competitive 12th practice of the summer?
Camp Takeaways: Jalen Milroe Continues to Impress, Seahawks Ready to Use Multitude of 2-Back Sets
Back in pads for the third time so far in training camp, the Seattle Seahawks once again saw a step forward from second-year quarterback Jalen Milroe, while the defense held serve after a couple of standout practices for the offense.
Reporter Corbin Smith teams up with Dan Viens of Seahawks Forever to dish out their thoughts on what they saw and heard in Seattle's ninth training camp practice, including Milroe's growing confidence playing the quarterback position, Brian Fleury's comments about implementing multiple two-back sets into his offensive scheme, and Rylie Mills' continued dominance in his first healthy NFL training camp.
Camp Takeaways: Rookie DBs Dazzle as Seahawks’ 2026 Draft Class Continues to Shine
The pads won’t start popping until later this week, providing a major caveat that encompasses any evaluations from four non-contact July practices. But heading into the first day off at training camp, the Seattle Seahawks continue to receive encouraging initial returns from their latest draft class.
The center of attention as Seattle’s top selection, Jadarian Price caught his second touchdown in as many days, this time hauling in a 30-yard wheel route from Jalen Milroe for six points and drawing an avalanche of cheers from the sellout crowd on the berm at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center. As has been the case throughout camp thus far, the first round running back has seemingly been force fed in the passing game by new coordinator Brian Fleury, catching passes everywhere from the flats to down the sideline on deep patterns coming out of the backfield.
But while all eyes remained fixated on Price, and understandably so as a top-32 selection tabbed to succeed Super Bowl MVP Ken Walker III, it was two of the four defensive backs drafted by John Schneider in April who stole the show in Tuesday’s session with splashy plays on the back end of Mike Macdonald’s defense.
Ranking Seahawks: Uso Seumalo, Undrafted Rookies Headline No. 91-86
With the calendar quickly heading towards July and offseason workouts wrapped up league-wide for the summer, the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks will soon descend upon the Virginia Mason Athletic Center for the start of training camp, kicking off a much-anticipated 2026 season.
To celebrate the new incoming season, I will be ranking every member of the Seahawks 90-man roster over the next several weeks leading up to report day, providing detailed profiles, exploring best and worst case scenarios, and breaking down what to expect from each player entering the 2026 campaign.
Featuring nearly half of the team’s smaller undrafted rookie crop, here’s the first six entries to open this year’s 90-man profiles, including a pair of gadget receivers with special teams acumen and a dark horse to watch at nose tackle.
Analysis: Investigating Seahawks’ Key Offensive Position Battles Entering OTAs
Set to kick off OTAs next week at the VMAC, the Seattle Seahawks will welcome back plenty of familiar faces from their Super Bowl squad. In fact, all 11 players who logged at least 700 offensive snaps in 2025 remain under contract heading into the new season, presenting rare continuity for a defending champion.
Thanks to the minimal changes, with running back being the lone exception to the rule after losing Ken Walker III to Kansas City in free agency and drafting Jadarian Price with the 32nd overall pick, Seattle will open the final phase of the offseason program without many starting jobs up for grabs on offense. All five offensive linemen who started last year will return, as will quarterback Sam Darnold and a dynamic receiving corps headlined by Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Rashid Shaheed, and Cooper Kupp.
But while few starting jobs may be on the line, the Seahawks should still have some enticing competitions on tap on the offensive side of the football when they hit the practice field next week, including a pair of fun depth contests looming at guard and receiver further bolstered by selections made in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Which battles offer the most intrigue with two months until the start of training camp?
Seahawks Place Rylie Mills, 5 Other Rookies on Non-Football Injury List Prior to Training Camp
As expected, the Seahawks will open training camp without fifth-round pick Rylie Mills able to practice, but several other undrafted rookies also will be sidelined indefinitely.
Seahawks 90-Man Rundown: Montorie Foster Jr. Eager to Impress as Receiver, Return Specialist
After leading Michigan State in receptions the past two seasons despite questionable quarterback play, Montorie Foster Jr. took the difficult path from tryout player to 90-man roster signee with the Seahawks and hopes to keep beating the odds.
Seahawks Sign Pair of Undrafted Tryout Players to 90-Man Roster
Shaking up the back end of their roster, the Seahawks awarded two tryout players who excelled at rookie minicamp by signing them to contracts on the active roster heading towards OTAs.
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