Seahawks 53-Man Projection: Who Makes Cut After First Two Weeks of Training Camp?
Quickly approaching the first preseason game with the Las Vegas Raiders set to come to town on August 7 and the regular season just around the corner, the Seattle Seahawks have already conducted 10 training camp practices, including Saturday’s Football Fest event at Lumen Field.
While there’s still much left to work on and several starting jobs and roster spots up for grabs, Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald has been pleased with what he’s seen from his squad so far, eager to see how the team responds as they begin their first game week preparation.
“I just think that the spirit of our group right now and the intention of what we are trying to achieve is spot on. It is right where we need it. We are not perfect by any stretch. We are done with the install phase, so now we’re circling back and let’s focus on getting really good at what we do. But some good situation work… Guys are in a good spot and much needed and much deserved day off.”
Now in the dog days of August with exhibition contests set to commence, which players will be on the Seahawks 53-man roster later this month? Here’s my latest stab at projecting who will survive cuts coming out of the preseason and gearing up for Week 1 against the 49ers:
Quarterback
Starter: Sam Darnold
Backups: Drew Lock, Jalen Milroe
Last One Out: N/A
The Seahawks typically haven’t kept three quarterbacks on the roster in the past, but Milroe’s speed and running ability more than warrant keeping him active on game day, as he offers a viable threat opposing teams have to game for as a package weapon. With that said, Lock has had an excellent camp so far and will be the true backup if Darnold gets banged up during the course of the season, as he’s an experienced veteran who has proven he can win big games as a pinch hitter and the rookie still has a ways to go until he’s ready to be thrust into a full-time duty as an NFL quarterback.
Running Back/Fullback
Starter: Ken Walker III
Backups: Zach Charbonnet, Damien Martinez, Robbie Ouzts
Last One Out: George Holani
Understandably, Seattle has kept Walker in bubble wrap for a good chunk of training camp, as they want to make sure he’s fully healthy and ready to rip for the start of the regular season. When he has participated in practice, he has been dynamic as ever both as a runner and receiver out of the backfield and looks poised for a strong fourth season as long as he can stay on the field. Behind him, Charbonnet also should have a significant role, as he has gotten a lot of work in Kubiak’s offense this summer so far and his running style caters better to zone running than advertised. Those two as well as Martinez, who has flashed as a runner and pass protector in his first camp, will have the pleasure of running behind a 274-pound wrecking ball in Ouzts, who has more than earned the fullback gig.
If there’s a tough decision to make here, following a season-ending injury to Kenny McIntosh, Holani has been one of the stars of camp, including scoring a 65-yard touchdown in a padded practice this past week. He’s a smooth route runner with soft hands and capable picking up blitzes, making him a worthy third down replacement option, and he’s absolutely an NFL roster caliber player. But he will likely be easier to slip to the practice squad than some of the other bubble candidates, making him one of the last cuts in this projection.
Receiver
Starters: Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Cooper Kupp
Backups: Tory Horton, Jake Bobo, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Dareke Young
Last One Out: Steven Sims Jr.
The duo of Smith-Njigba and Kupp remain atop the depth chart as the clear No. 1 and No. 2 wideouts in Seattle’s revamped receiving corps with both players demonstrating improving rapports with Darnold. But behind them, a fully healthy Horton has surged on the practice field over the past week, racking up multiple big plays every day while exhibiting his mid-4.3 speed as a deep threat and capabilities to create with the football in his hands after the catch. At this point, after spending a lot of time with the first-team on Friday and Saturday, nobody should be surprised if he’s receiver No. 3 in the season opener while also returning kicks and punts.
The best blocking receiver on the roster and a reliable chain mover out of the slot as well as from the boundary, Bobo has had a steady camp and his strengths seem to be accentuated quite well by this scheme, locking up the fourth receiver spot. That’s where things start to get interesting, as Valdes-Scantling has $3 million in guaranteed money on his contract for this year but doesn’t offer special teams contributions. If Horton passes him on the depth chart, which he appears to already have done, his spot may not be as secure as it once seemed, especially with Young’s re-emergence as a much improved playmaking receiver and elite special teams player. Both of them stay on the roster in this projection over Sims, who could be a practice squad kick/punt return insurance policy.
Tight End
Starters: AJ Barner, Elijah Arroyo
Backup: Brady Russell
Last One Out: Eric Saubert
In the aftermath of the decision to waive Noah Fant before the start of training camp, the Seahawks have two exciting young tight ends in Barner and Arroyo who offer vastly different skill sets and if practice so far has been any indication, they will complement each other extremely well in Kubiak’s offense. Both will get a ton of snaps together with two-tight end personnel groupings being a key part of the scheme and while Arroyo presents more of a big play threat down the seam, Barner has been quite impressive as a receiver this summer and will be a factor in the passing game as well.
Behind Barner and Arroyo, Saubert brings extensive experience in Kubiak’s offense to the equation, as he played for him in Denver in 2022 and spent time in a similar offense under Kyle Shanahan in San Francisco last season. But the journeyman has bounced around seeing game action with seven teams since entering the NFL and he doesn’t offer the same positional versatility Russell does, as the latter can not only play fullback and tight end but also proved at football fest that he can be a quality long snapper if needed in an emergency. Saubert will be easier to get to the practice squad out of the gate, making him the odd man out here.
Offensive Line
Starters: Charles Cross, Grey Zabel, Olu Oluwatimi, Anthony Bradford, Abraham Lucas
Backups: Jalen Sundell, Josh Jones, Christian Haynes, Sataoa Laumea, Mike Jerrell
Last One Out: Mason Richman
The Seahawks opened camp on July 23 with two openings in the trenches at center and right guard. 10 practices in, Oluwatimi has seized the center job as the incumbent, steadily improving each day and consistently locking up defenders in 1-on-1s and team drills. But right guard remains a huge question mark, as Haynes has gone from the perceived favorite to not even getting team snaps late this week while Bradford resurfaced as the primary benefactor working with the first team offense and Sundell continued to get a fair number of snaps there as well. At this stage, all three of those players should be on the roster, though Haynes’ struggles adapting to center may put him on shakier ground.
Depth-wise, even with Cross expected to be back for Week 1 after undergoing surgery to repair a dislocated pointer finger, Jones and Jerrell have each been rock solid during camp and the latter will be extremely difficult to slip through waivers due to his athletic talents and upside. Considering Lucas’ injury history, retaining both should be guaranteed. Laumea’s ability to play both guard spots may be appealing in comparison to Haynes, but the pair of 2024 draft picks may be the closest to “bubble” linemen on the roster heading towards the preseason. Richman has started to play some guard himself, but looks to be a ways away from threatening for a spot.
Defensive Tackle
Starters: Leonard Williams, Jarran Reed
Backups: Byron Murphy II, Mike Morris, Quinton Bohanna, Jared Ivey
Last One Out: Brandon Pili
PUP/NFI List: Jonathan Hankins, Rylie Mills
Returning all their key pieces from last season, the Seahawks will have one of the best defensive line trifectas in the sport with Williams, Reed, and a potential breakout star in Murphy in the starting lineup. But behind them, injuries have only further clouded depth concerns for Macdonald’s defensive front, starting with Hankins’ status being anything but certain for the start of the season as he deals with a back issue on the Non-Football Injury list. In addition, Mills, a fifth-round pick from Notre Dame, could be months away from returning to game action and will most likely open the season on the NFI himself, requiring him to miss four games minimum.
With Hankins not practicing yet in camp, the door has been opened for Bohanna and Pili to receive a ton of playing time in the middle of the line, and Bohanna has been the one who has capitalized on that opportunity the most with several splashing backfield stops from the nose tackle spot. Having previously played in 27 games for the Cowboys with current Seahawks defensive coordinator Aden Durde as his defensive line coach, that familiarity should carry him to a roster spot if Hankins isn’t ready by Week 1. As for 3-tech defensive tackle depth, Morris has had a quality camp and Ivey has flashed enough to go with a couple of on-field altercations to warrant inclusion on the roster at least until Mills can play, but turning in a strong preseason will be vital to both players.
EDGE/Outside Linebacker
Starters: Demarcus Lawrence, Derick Hall
Backups: Boye Mafe, Jadeveon Clowney
Last One Out: Tyreke Smith
PUP List: Uchenna Nwosu
Seattle hoped to see Nwosu back on the field at some point in training camp after offseason knee surgery, but with the preseason opener just around the corner, there’s a very real possibility he isn’t back for the season opener and could miss the first four games staying on the PUP list. Assuming he isn’t able to suit up in the first month, while the trio of Lawrence, Hall, and Mafe remains a formidable one, depth concerns become a major question mark for Macdonald’s squad with Smith being the most experienced player on the roster behind them with three regular season games on his resume.
To address this problem, many fans will want to add Micah Parsons via trade after he requested a trade earlier this week from the Cowboys, but that scenario should be viewed as a highly unlikely fantasy at this point for numerous reasons. The same can be said for a potential deal to acquire Trey Hendrickson from the Bengals. Instead, reuniting Macdonald with Clowney, who had one of his finest seasons in Baltimore playing in Macdonald’s defense two years ago, makes the most sense. The veteran defensive end has yet to sign with a team after being cut by the Panthers after the 2025 NFL Draft and his previous ties to the scheme would make him an excellent mid-August addition to help replace Nwosu while also providing much-needed depth at the position without breaking the bank or losing draft picks.
Inside Linebacker
Starters: Ernest Jones IV, Tyrice Knight
Backups: Drake Thomas, Patrick O’Connell
Last One Out: Josh Ross
Due to offseason knee surgery and the death of his father, Jones hasn’t been at most of Seattle’s camp to this stage, but he returned on Friday and now should be locked in for the start of the season. Meanwhile, Knight has made significant strides from his rookie year, benefiting from more exposure to the MIKE position playing in Jones’ place this spring and looking far more comfortable in Macdonald’s defense with a full NFL offseason under his belt, so those two will be cemented as starters in the middle for Week 1 with lofty expectations to meet.
Going into camp, depth stood out as an issue behind Jones and Knight, and to an extent, that continues to be the case after 10 practices. Still, Thomas has played pretty well, including making several thumping hits during Saturday’s scrimmage periods, while O’Connell has showcased improvement in his second year in Macdonald’s defense and remains ahead of Ross and rookie D’Eryk Jackson. This position could still have some changes on the depth chart in the preseason, but for the time being, Thomas and O’Connell offer the most upside as defensive reserves while being quality special teamers as well, justifying their inclusion on the opening roster.
Cornerback
Starters: Devon Witherspoon, Riq Woolen
Backups: Josh Jobe, Shaquill Griffin, Nehemiah Pritchett
Last One Out: Damarion Williams
Injured Reserve: Shemar Jean-Charles
Prior to the start of camp, everyone expected a spirited competition between Jobe and the newly re-signed Griffin to commence for the third cornerback job. But that has yet to come to fruition with Griffin missing the first practice due to an illness and then departing the team for personal reasons two days later. With only one practice under his belt and no certainty about when he will return, he hasn’t even had an opportunity to push Jobe, who clearly has the second boundary role in nickel packages on lockdown for the time being.
Since Seattle gave Griffin a good chunk of guaranteed money on a one-year contract and he has started a ton of games in the NFL, it’s still likely the veteran will be on the roster once he gets back to practice, however. Considering the depth at safety, this could mean only one spot remains available on the roster at cornerback and with Jean-Charles sidelined by an undisclosed injury that could last into the season, Pritchett has done enough in terms of producing plays on the football in camp to stick around over the likes of Williams or undrafted rookie Isas Waxter, who will be prime practice squad candidates.
Safety
Starters: Julian Love, Coby Bryant, Nick Emmanwori
Backup: D’Anthony Bell
Last One Out: Ty Okada
In the past, the Seahawks would have likely rolled out three cornerbacks for most of their nickel packages, but the rapid ascent of Emmanwori changes everything for Macdonald as a play caller. The second-round pick out of South Carolina has been a star throughout camp with three interceptions and quickly has started to rack up snaps with the first-team defense alongside Love and Bryant, creating a ton of flexibility schematically with his ability to thrive in the box, rush off the edge, and play the big nickel role with the athleticism of a much smaller, quicker defender. One should expect those three players to start out of the gate with nickel being the new base defense.
Meanwhile, Bell has done nothing but make plays since the start of OTAs, and like Emmanwori, he has good size (6-2, 210 pounds) and plus-ball skills that allow him to play all over the field in different positions and alignments. Macdonald has a history of deploying four-safety looks out of dime and bandit packages dating back to his time in Baltimore and fans should expect to see all four safeties on Seattle’s roster on the field together a handful of plays every single week. Okada has had a great camp as well and with A.J. Finley suffering a serious knee injury on Saturday, he may be a serious candidate to earn one of the final spots due to his special teams contributions, but in this projection, he’s heading back to the practice squad.
Specialists
Starters: Jason Myers, Michael Dickson, Chris Stoll
Stoll has been nursing a tight back for the past few days and did not practice on Saturday with Russell taking over as the long snapper, but while he may not be ready for the preseason opener, there’s no indication that the injury will put him in jeopardy for the start of the season. Seattle should have its full battery on kick and punt teams ready for Week 1.
