Ranking Seahawks: Special Teams Aces Vying for Roster Spots Headline No. 60-56
With the calendar recently flipping to 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.
Continuing with No. 60-56 on my annual rankings, two core special teamers will look to lock up spots on the roster and a pair of second-year linemen have sights on expanded roles in the trenches:
60. Irvin Charles, WR
2025 Stats: DNP - Injured Reserve
Highly recruited out of Paul VI High School in New Jersey, Charles began his collegiate career at Penn State, playing two seasons for the Nittany Lions before being dismissed from the program and transferring to Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 2018. Stepping away from the game, he didn’t play football for the next three seasons before returning to the gridiron as a graduate student in 2021 and catching 39 passes for 792 yards and 12 touchdowns, using that unconventional, yet successful comeback audition at the Division II level to climb back onto the NFL radar. Though he went undrafted, Charles signed a three-year deal with the Jets, spending his entire first year on the league as a member of the practice squad.
Benefiting from a year of development, Charles broke through in 2023 and made the 53-man roster out of camp for New York, appearing in 12 games while recording seven tackles on special teams, emerging as a quality gunner on the punt coverage unit. He continued to star in the third phase of the game in 2024, tallying seven tackles and a blocked punt before suffering a season-ending torn ACL in Week 14. That major injury unfortunately cost him the entire 2025 season, as he opened camp on the PUP list and never was activated. Finally back to full strength, the Jets decided to move him this offseason, sending him to the Seahawks as a potential successor for Dareke Young on special teams in exchange for a conditional 2028 seventh-round pick.
Best Case Scenario: Rediscovering his pre-injury groove, Charles makes a couple nice open field tackles as a gunner on punt coverage during the preseason and contributes more than expected as a receiver with the second-team offense, netting himself the sixth and final roster spot in a crowded receiver group and ensuring the Jets receive a seventh rounder from the Seahawks in 2028.
Worst Case Scenario: Lacking enough burst to be much of a factor in the passing game, particularly coming off a severe knee injury, Charles turns in a quiet preseason overall and with the team preferring younger options, the Seahawks waive him in late August without a return to the practice squad and keep their future draft pick as a result.
What to Expect: Coming off a lost season due to injury, Charles will be one of the more interesting curiosities to keep an eye on in Seattle’s training camp. Before suffering the ACL injury, he had jumped into the discussion as one of the NFL’s premier gunners, to the point where several teams started to have multiple defenders assigned to him on punts to try and prevent him from racing downfield and making a tackle. The Seahawks showed last year how much the third phase of the game matters for them with how they constructed their roster, and if Charles rounds back into form, he has more than enough talent in that regard to justify winning a roster spot and be well worth a future seventh round selection. At the same time, he has never caught a pass in a regular season game as a receiver and doesn’t have great speed to go with his 6-4, 219-pound frame, leaving him at a disadvantage against the likes of Emmanuel Henderson Jr. and returning vet Cody White. He will have to likely flash some pass catching ability in the preseason to have a shot at a roster spot, but his gunner talents alone could still be enough to stick around on the practice squad at minimum.
59. Deven Eastern, DT
2025 Stats: 38 tackles, 2.5 sacks (at Minnesota)
After redshirting in his first season with the Golden Gophers and seeing limited action as a reserve in 2022, Eastern jumped into the starting lineup as a sophomore and didn’t look back, starting 39 consecutive games in his final three years on campus. A three-year starter in the rugged Big Ten, quite the accomplishment by itself, he wrought havoc on opposing offensive lines throughout his time in Minneapolis while playing significant snaps at multiple alignments, demonstrating an uncommon talent for splitting gaps and causing problems in the backfield as both a nose tackle and 3-tech defensive tackle. He also saw a handful of snaps as a big defensive end in 5-tech alignment, illustrating impressive positional flexibility for his size in coordinator Danny Collins’ scheme.
In his final two seasons with the Gophers, Eastern put up quality all-around numbers, racking up 65 tackles, 4.5 sacks, and 10 tackles for loss, garnering Honorable Mention All-Big Ten honors as a senior in 2025. During that span, he also tallied 32 quarterback pressures, three batted passes, and two forced fumbles, offering a more balanced skill set than most 315-pound space eaters in the middle of the defensive line. Awarded for that success, he was the only Minnesota player to receive an invite to the Senior Bowl and participated in the premier all-star showcase in Mobile before working out at the NFL combine. Lasting until the final round, the Seahawks selected him with the 242nd overall pick of the 2026 NFL Draft to add to a versatile nose tackle to the competition.
Best Case Scenario: Seeing snaps in multiple alignments from nose tackle to base big end, Eastern makes his presence felt early in camp and jumps up the depth chart, eventually surpassing Brandon Pili and leading to a surprising cut for the veteran, finishing the preseason with five tackles, a partial sack, and a tackle for loss to lock up the last roster spot in the interior defensive line.
Worst Case Scenario: Continuing to battle consistency issues that dogged him at Minnesota, Eastern endures a roller coaster of a preseason, making a few splash plays as a penetrating 1-tech nose tackle while also getting exposed at times with poor gap integrity defending the run, showing enough promise to warrant a practice squad spot after being waived during final roster cuts.
What to Expect: When Eastern played at his best for Minnesota, he looked the part of a much earlier draft pick than the seventh round, flashing the athletic tools to be a surprisingly disruptive pass rusher from both the nose and 3-tech roles. But he often sandwiched those splashy plays around not-so-good reps where he found himself out of position or lost the leverage battle with opposing blockers getting underneath his pads. For him to make it in the NFL, he will have to prove that he can cut down on the negative plays and achieve greater consistency, something the player himself pointed out as an area of focus during Seattle’s rookie minicamp. Trying to crack arguably the best positional group on the roster will be a significant challenge and he will have to perform his way onto the right side of the roster bubble in the preseason, but he has the skill set to be a factor vying for a rotational role early in his NFL career, especially if his success playing away from nose tackle translates to the league.
58. Bryce Cabeldue, G
2025 Stats: No pressures allowed in eight games played
A product of the state of New Mexico, Cabeldue helped Clovis High School win a District Championship and garnered All-State honors in 2019,, turning that success into multiple scholarship offers, ultimately choosing to play at Kansas in the Big 12 conference. A former four-year starter for the Jayhawks, he logged over 3,000 snaps with the vast majority of those plays coming at right tackle, where he yielded under 10 pressures and posted a borderline-elite 98.3 percent pass block efficiency rate in 2024 according to Pro Football Focus. He turned that success into an East/West Shrine Bowl invite and performed well in Frisco while playing at guard and center.
Boasting an elite athletic profile for an NFL guard prospect, Cabeldue excelled as a zone blocker throughout his time in Lawrence, demonstrating the quickness and lateral agility necessarily to consistently execute reach blocks and climb to the second level. He posted excellent testing numbers at his pro day workout, including a sub-4.60 second short shuttle, to go with his stellar week at the Shrine Bowl. Following a 30-visit with the Seahawks, the team opted to bring him in as a sixth round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft and though he didn’t win a starting job, he stayed on the active roster throughout the regular season and into the playoffs until landing on injured reserve in January. Returning for his second season, he will once again compete for a reserve role behind Grey Zabel and Anthony Bradford at guard.
Best Case Scenario: Much more comfortable in his second season playing inside after converting from tackle as a rookie, Cabeldue puts his athleticism on full display during the preseason by helping spring a couple of big runs on wide zone concepts and takes a significant step forward in pass protection, managing to beat out Christian Haynes for one of Seattle’s final roster spots as a swing guard.
Worst Case Scenario: Despite having elite athletic traits, Cabeldue continues to struggle with NFL power as a pass protector during camp and exhibition games, yielding a pair of sacks after being bullied by bull rushes, failing to demonstrate enough progress to stay on the roster with rookie Beau Stephens and Haynes both outperforming him to win spots on the 53 instead.
What to Expect: Though he struggled at times in his first preseason action last summer, Cabeldue made clear strides on the practice field over the course of training camp, and that growth coupled with a high ceiling for a later round pick netted him a spot on Seattle’s roster. Under the tutelage of line coach John Benton, the Seahawks will be hoping to see a big sophomore leap from the New Mexico native, who possesses top-of-the-line athleticism that fits the scheme to perfection. Still, he will have more pressure on him after the team traded a future 2027 pick to move back into the fifth round to select Stephens in April. He remained ahead of the rookie during OTAs and minicamp while seeing snaps on both sides of the line, though Haynes took the bulk of the second team reps behind Bradford at right guard. Showing well in practice will be important, but preseason games may ultimately be the deciding factor on whether he stays on the active roster or the team decides to gamble and try to sneak him to the practice squad this time around.
57. Jared Ivey, EDGE
2025 Stats: Two games played with no statistics
An All-State talent in both basketball and football, Ivey received Division I opportunities in each sport coming out of North Gwinnett High School, ultimately choosing to commit to Georgia Tech as a four-star defensive lineman. In two seasons with the Yellow Jackets, he started 13 out of 20 games played, contributing 40 tackles, 1.5 sacks, and a forced fumble. Seeking a fresh start, he transferred to Ole Miss after the 2021 season, participating in the Rebels’ spring practices and quickly earning himself a significant role in the defensive line rotation, racking up 37 tackles and 3.5 sacks in his first year with the program.
Continuing to improve in his final two years in Oxford, Ivey increased his sack totals to 5.5 and seven in 2023 and 2024 respectively, hitting double digit tackles for loss in each of those seasons as well. After terrorizing opposing quarterbacks with a career-high in sacks in his last year of eligibility, he garnered First-Team All-SEC recognition, but a poor performance at his pro day workout wound up leading to him going undrafted. Viewed as one of the top players available in the undrafted ranks, the Seahawks promptly signed him as a priority free agent and a stellar preseason effort secured a roster spot for him, but he only appeared in two games with much of his rookie season spent as a healthy scratch on game day.
Best Case Scenario: Quicker and stronger following a full offseason in Seattle’s weight room, Ivey dominates the competition during the preseason, notching his first NFL sack along with two tackles for loss and a pass breakup while playing both defensive end and outside linebacker, once again holding onto a coveted roster spot with a better opportunity to play meaningful snaps in the regular season.
Worst Case Scenario: Too reliant on physicality and not offering enough athletic juice to go with it, Ivey doesn’t show much progress on the practice field or during preseason game action compared to his rookie season, confirming fears from some scouts that he was a high floor, low ceiling NFL prospect and leading to his release before re-signing with the practice squad.
What to Expect: Ivey came into the league with the label of a tweener and to an extent, there’s some validity to that narrative. At a hair over 270 pounds, he isn’t quite big enough to carve out a regular role as a 3-tech defensive tackle in the NFL, but he also doesn’t have the natural athletic traits and twitch typically preferred from a two-point outside linebacker off edge either. However, best illustrated by his outstanding college production in the SEC, he always gets the most out of his talent due to a red hot motor and a physical, attitudinal nature that makes him an absolute nuisance to try to block play after play. Depending on game situation, his positional flexibility can be a major asset for him even if he doesn’t have a natural every down fit, specifically offering intrigue as a pass rushing 3-tech. With Dante Fowler Jr. signing as Boye Mafe’s replacement, there isn’t a clear path for him to be a top-four EDGE and the defensive tackle group is loaded as well, making it far from guaranteed he makes the team in year two. Still, another strong preseason would work wonders for his job security as one of the few players on the roster who can play up and down the defensive line without a hitch.
56. Chazz Surratt, LB
2025 Stats: 11 tackles
Originally recruited to Chapel Hill as a quarterback, Surratt started seven games under center for North Carolina as a redshirt freshman, throwing eight touchdowns and adding five scores on the ground. But the Tar Heels went a different direction at the position the following year, leading to him making a position change to the defensive side of the ball as a linebacker. He thrived as the quarterback of the defense, earning First-Team All-ACC honors in each of his final two seasons on campus, racking up 207 combined tackles, 12.5 sacks, and two interceptions, earning himself a spot on the Senior Bowl roster. The Vikings selected him in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft, only for him to last one season with the team before being released in August 2022.
Signed to the practice squad by the Jets, Surratt spent the next two seasons primarily contributing on special teams, producing nine tackles on kick and punt coverage in that time. He stepped into New York’s lineup as a starter late in the 2024 season due to injuries ahead of him on the depth chart, finishing with a career-high 28 tackles and two tackles for loss. The 49ers signed him as a free agent leading up to the 2025 season, but he did not make their initial 53-man roster and the Seahawks claimed him off of waivers, setting the stage for him to emerge as one of the team’s best special teamers. Even with a lengthy injured reserve stint due to an ankle sprain, he finished with 11 special teams tackles for the Super Bowl champs, earning a new one-year contract to stay with the team in March.
Best Case Scenario: Picking up where he left off before his ankle injury last November, Surratt cleans up as a special teams ace covering kicks/punts in the preseason and makes a handful of plays on defense as well, all but ensuring his spot on the 53-man roster as a reserve linebacker.
Worst Case Scenario: Undersized for the linebacker position, Surratt continues to struggle making much of an impact on defense and with the emergence of second-year linebacker Chris Paul Jr. along with the return of Patrick O’Connell, he becomes expendable and receives a pink slip in late August.
What to Expect: From excellent open field tackles on kick coverage to a key block to spring Tory Horton for a 95-yard punt return for a touchdown, Surratt left quite the imprint on Seattle’s talented special teams unit when healthy last year, proving himself to be yet another shrewd waiver claim by John Schneider. Away from Brady Russell, it can be argued that he had as much impact as any non-kicker/punter on special teams for the eventual Super Bowl champs. With that said, he has never been able to arise as a viable NFL off-ball linebacker as hoped, starting just five games in his entire career. With Ernest Jones and Drake Thomas entrenched as starters, the Seahawks don’t need him to excel in that regard, but O’Connell played well in reserve duty last year on defense and Paul may have the highest upside of any of the fringe linebackers on the roster. For that reason, while he’s likely a good bet to be on the roster, he will have to once again earn it against game competitors.
Previous 90-Man Rankings
