Pre-OTAs Projection: Which Offensive Players Will Make Seahawks’ 53-Man Roster in 2026?

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Seattle Seahawks running back George Holani (36) rushes for a touchdown as Arizona Cardinals safety Budda Baker (3) defends during the first quarter at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images [/caption]

Lighting up scoreboards from start to finish, the Seattle Seahawks leaned on a potent offense that ranked in the top five in the NFL last season to finish with 17 wins and capture the second Lombardi Trophy in franchise history.

As they embark on their title defense with the final phase of the offseason program starting next week, the Seahawks will have most of the band back together from last year’s Super Bowl squad. All 11 players who logged at least 700 offensive snaps will return, and with the exception of running back Ken Walker III, every starter from last season remains under contract, presenting unprecedented continuity for a defending NFL champion.

With that continuity, however, few roster spots will be available on the offensive side of the ball as competitions heat up in coming weeks leading up to the start of training camp. Even for reserves who played snaps last season, with a new crop of rookies and free agent signees on board, there won’t be any guarantee of sticking around on the 53-man roster this time around on one of the NFL’s deepest teams.

Rumbling into OTAs at the VMAC, which offensive players will survive cuts to make Seattle’s opening week roster? Here’s my first stab at projecting who earns a spot in late August:

Quarterback (3)

Starter: Sam Darnold

Backups: Drew Lock, Jalen Milroe

Prior to 2025, the Seahawks rarely had kept three quarterbacks on the active roster during the John Schneider era, and doing so comes at the expense of a player at another position that would have a better shot at making an impact on gameday. But Milroe’s athletic chops and upside warranted an exception to the rule and even with Darnold entrenched as the long-term starter and Lock being the clear-cut No. 2 for at least one more year, continuing to develop the former third round pick will be a priority for the franchise. Expect all three players to once again be on the 53 with the possibility Milroe gets a bit more run with potential usage in specialty packages on offense this season in new coordinator Brian Fleury’s offense.

Running Back (4)

Starter: Jadarian Price

Backups: George Holani, Emanuel Wilson, Robbie Ouzts

PUP: Zach Charbonnet

Time will tell when Charbonnet returns from a torn ACL, but nobody should realistically expect him to be back before October. Coupling his ongoing rehab with Ken Walker III’s departure for Kansas City, Seattle will give Price every opportunity to win the starting job on Day 1 after investing a first round pick in him last month. Even if the rookie finds himself deployed in a by-committee timeshare, he should get a ton of action out of gate with Holani offering a refined third down back skill set and Wilson bringing the hammer as a punishing short yardage and goal line runner who will have make up for Charbonnet’s absence. Under this projection, Kenny McIntosh narrowly misses out on one of the final roster spots coming off a torn ACL, but both he and Jacardia Wright will be prime candidates to retain as insurance on the practice squad if they clear waivers. Back from a neck injury, Ouzts should continue to receive quite a few snaps on offense in Fleury’s system that will feature extensive two-back personnel groupings.

Receiver (6)

Starters: Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Rashid Shaheed

Backups: Cooper Kupp, Tory Horton, Jake Bobo, Emmanuel Henderson Jr.

After extending Smith-Njigba, Shaheed, and Bobo during the free agent period, the Seahawks won’t have much drama at the receiver position in terms of who will be on the opening week roster, especially with a healthy Horton expected to be back at 100% for training camp. The real questions will boil down to snap usage once the games start, particularly for Horton and Bobo with limited opportunities presented in an offensive scheme that historically has utilized three-plus receiver sets below league average. If there’s a battle that could intrigue in OTAs and training camp, it will be for the sixth and final spot on the depth chart with Henderson’s speed and talents as a gunner on punt coverage giving him a slight edge over 2025 seventh round pick Ricky White and veteran Cody White. With performance in the preseason likely holding significant weight in the final decision, that may be one of the fiercest competitions to watch play out this summer.

Tight End (4)

Starters: AJ Barner, Elijah Arroyo

Backups: Eric Saubert, Brady Russell

Boasting one of the best young tight end duos in the NFC, the Seahawks will roll into their title defense with Barner already established as a rising star and Arroyo possessing the upside to break out in his sophomore campaign. Fleury should utilize those two players together often while mixing in Saubert as a true Y-tight end with blocking prowess, while Russell’s positional flexibility being able to line up in the backfield as well as being an elite special teams player will keep his spot secure. Unlike last year, it will be quite tricky for Seattle to keep stout blocking tight end Nick Kallerup on the roster from a numbers standpoint and the team will have to hope it can sneak him to the practice squad this time around, while free agent addition Harrison Bryant simply has too many bodies ahead of him to climb into contention to make the roster after signing in April.

Offensive Line (8)

Starters: Charles Cross, Grey Zabel, Jalen Sundell, Anthony Bradford, Abraham Lucas

Backups: Josh Jones, Olu Oluwatimi, Beau Stephens

Enjoying rare continuity in the trenches, the Seahawks will have all five of their starters from last year’s Super Bowl squad back and while the selection of Stephens in the fifth round of the 2026 NFL Draft could signal that the team has a contingency plan in place at right guard beyond 2026, Bradford will enter the final year of his rookie contract as the undisputed starter for the first time in his career. With Sundell set in stone as the pivot man as well and both Jones and Oluwatimi being locks as experienced reserve options who stepped up nicely when called upon a year ago, Seattle will have some interesting decisions to make from a depth perspective with a number of intriguing young players battling for what may amount to no more than one or two roster spots. In this projection, that leaves former third round pick Christian Haynes, former Day 3 selections Mason Richman and Bryce Cabeldue, and talented tackles Amari Kight and Logan Brown on the wrong side of the bubble with hopes several of those players can be retained on the practice squad.