> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Seahawks 53-Man Projection: Who Makes Cut After First Two Preseason Games? - URL: https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/seattle-seahawks-53-man-projection-who-makes-cut-first-two-preseason-games/ - Published: 2025-08-19T15:48:24.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-08T06:18:45.000Z - Author: Corbin Smith - Tags: Analysis, Seahawks, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Dareke Young, George Holani, Jared Ivey, Jerrick Reed II, Sataoa Laumea, Eric Saubert, Damien Martinez, Jake Bobo [Embed from Getty Images](http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/2230497859?ref=emeraldcityspectrum.com) Closing in on a joint practice and their final preseason tuneup against the Green Bay Packers this week, the Seattle Seahawks will soon be making a number of difficult decisions regarding their 53-man roster heading into the 2025 season. For several players, much will be riding on this weekend’s last dress rehearsal at Lambeau Field, as the last few spots on Seattle’s roster could be finalized based on performance on Saturday afternoon. For others, though a spot on the 53 isn’t in the cards, putting more quality play on film could open the door for a return to the practice squad or to land with another team after the dust settles next week. With less than three weeks until the 49ers come to town, who will be on the Seahawks’ roster after final cuts take place on August 26? Here’s my latest stab at picking the final 53 after two exhibition contests, including a few surprising departures on offense: ### Quarterback (3) **Starter**: Sam Darnold **Backups**: Drew Lock, Jalen Milroe **Last One Out**: N/A Albeit a brief appearance, Darnold looked ready to roll running Klint Kubiak’s offense on Friday night, completing all four of his pass attempts for 34 yards while playing with poise in the pocket and throwing accurately on bootleg rollouts. Behind him, Lock had a near-perfect second exhibition contest capped off by a second touchdown pass to Jake Bobo, and if he’s called upon, he already has proven himself capable of winning big games for the Seahawks in relief. The presence of both veterans will allow the coaching staff to take their time developing Milroe, who has the highest ceiling but remains the most unpolished with accuracy inconsistencies that still need addressed and room to grow as a processor. He will immediately be a threat in sub-packages due to his rushing ability, however. ### Running Back/Fullback (5) **Starter**: Ken Walker III **Backups**: Zach Charbonnet, George Holani, Damien Martinez, Robbie Ouzts **Last One Out**: Jacardia Wright Practicing roughly half of training camp, with the vast majority of those snaps coming in non-padded practices, Walker has been explosive and dynamic when on the field. The big question is - especially after Macdonald indicated he still has been dealing with a sore foot - how long will he stay available once the season opens? Fortunately, if the injury bug does nip him again, Charbonnet’s vision and decisive running style appear to be great fits for Kubiak’s system and he demonstrated starter-caliber ability last season, so the Seahawks should be in good shape if K9 has to miss time again at some point. Regardless of who starts, they will have a punishing lead blocker in Ouzts helping open up running lanes out of the backfield in front of them. Making the situation even better for Seattle, Holani has built off a strong rookie season and been arguably the best player on offense in the preseason, demonstrating burst and power thriving between the tackles as well as on perimeter runs. Through two games, rushing for 110 yards on just 12 carries for a 9.2 yards per carry average with a 24-yard touchdown. Given his improvements on offense and value as a core special teamer, it would seem far too risky to try to slip him through waivers again, and the same likely can be said for Martinez, who looked much more like the back that averaged six yards per carry in his college career in his second exhibition game against Kansas City after an underwhelming opener. In a more run-heavy offense, keeping four backs should be a priority, while maintaining Wright on the practice squad will further stock the cupboard insurance-wise. ### Receiver (5) **Starters**: Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Cooper Kupp **Backups**: Tory Horton, Jake Bobo, Dareke Young **Last One Out**: Marquez Valdes-Scantling There doesn’t seem to be a ton of drama at receiver, at least compared to previous seasons where four or five players had legitimate shots at one of the final spots on the depth chart. Smith-Njigba has been dynamic throughout training camp with a skill set that caters perfectly for Kubiak’s timing-based passing game, while Kupp has been healthy and looks recharged coming back to his home state as the clear No. 2 for Darnold. Behind them, Horton got nicked up a bit with an ankle sprain on Friday night and missed Sunday’s most recent practice, but the ascending rookie should be good to go later this week and has more than earned the third spot catching a bunch of passes during an outstanding camp and preseason. Earning the fourth and fifth spots, Bobo and Young remain core special team players for the Seahawks, with the former showing off surprising quicks as a punt returner on Friday night and the latter now in the hunt for one of the two kick return jobs along with being an elite gunner on punt coverage. Both players have also been quite productive as pass catchers, with Bobo scoring twice against the Chiefs and Young leading the team with 52 yards on three receptions. Due $3 million in guaranteed money, cutting Valdes-Scantling would be a sunken cost without any contributions in return, but he has not played an NFL special teams snap since 2021\. Even with his familiarity with Kubiak’s offense, it will be hard to justify keeping him as a sixth depth receiver without the ability to pitch in as a special teamer in comparison to the likes of Holani, Bobo, and Young on the roster bubble. ### Tight End (4) **Starters**: AJ Barner, Elijah Arroyo **Backups**: Brady Russell, Eric Saubert **Last One Out**: Nick Kallerup If the preseason has been any indication, the Seahawks will be rolling two and three-tight end sets out quite frequently with Kubiak calling the shots, and to this point, those personnel groupings have been a big part of the team’s resurgent preseason run game. Barner brings a nastiness and edge to him as a true Y-tight end while having enough athletic juice to win as a route runner out of the slot, while Arroyo’s smooth running gear and soft hands make him a threat to do damage downfield or after the catch any given play. In contrast to prior years, expect Darnold to focus quite a bit on getting the ball into those two player’s hands as focal points in the passing game. But away from Barner and Arroyo, Seattle absolutely has two other rosterable tight ends, in part due to Russell and Saubert both being versatile blockers and excellent special teams players. Russell has been seeing a handful of snaps at fullback behind Ouzts and the ability to play each position creates more motion flexibility for Kubiak to utilize, while Saubert laid a couple of devastating blocks working inline on Friday night, including a wicked wham block kicking out the unblocked edge defender on Charbonnet’s 15-yard touchdown run to open the contest. Coaches have raved about both players throughout camp and at least initially, like the running back position, it makes too much sense to keep four tight ends to maximize the capabilities of this offensive scheme as well as roster the best special teamers. ### Offensive Line (9) **Starters**: Charles Cross, Grey Zabel, Jalen Sundell, Anthony Bradford, Abraham Lucas **Backups**: Olu Oluwatimi, Josh Jones, Christian Haynes, Mike Jerrell **Last One Out**: Mason Richman Time will tell whether the improvements will translate to the regular season, but the Seahawks have to be thrilled with early returns so far under the coaching of John Benton, Rick Dennison, and Justin Outten. Zabel hasn’t done anything to slow down rising expectations as a top-20 pick by tearing it up in the run game with his lateral quickness and propensity for finishing off defenders, while Sundell has done everything in his power to “Wally Pipp” Oluwatimi, who has missed the past two weeks with a tight back and opened the door for his competitor to steal the starting center role. Bradford looks like a completely different player as well, using a leaner frame to his advantage getting to the second level and winning more often on reach block attempts. The situation should only get better before Week 1 with Cross already practicing after finger surgery and Lucas appearing to be past the knee issues that dogged him the past two years. Depth-wise, Jones has been quite impressive starting at left tackle in Cross’ place in the first two preseason games, looking like a clear upgrade over George Fant and Stone Forsythe as Seattle’s primary swing tackle. Jerrell has also made noticeable strides while adding left tackle to his arsenal after only being on the right side as a rookie. In the interior, Oluwatimi could still be in the mix to get his job back down the line, if he isn’t the Week 1 starter to begin with. Haynes rebounded from a lull midway through camp to secure the backup right guard job behind Bradford and can also play on the other side if needed. As far as surprises go, Laumea has had a very disappointing second camp, plummeting all the way to the third-team offense at left guard as of late and struggling in the preseason, leading to his release in this projection. ### Defensive Tackle (6) **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 Behind the three-headed monster of Williams, Reed, and Murphy, the Seahawks will have some interesting decisions to make regarding depth choices in the interior of the defensive line. Morris has had a rock solid training camp and preseason, doing more than enough to maintain his roster spot despite Ivey’s efforts to push him for snaps. With Hankins’ status up in the air and no idea when - or if - he will be back on the field, Bohanna and Pili both have ran with their increased snaps and made the most of their opportunities over the past month, including the latter forcing a safety in Friday’s win over the Chiefs. In an ideal world, Seattle would be able to release Ivey and bring him back on the practice squad. But it will be a major challenge slipping the former All-SEC performer through waivers with plenty of other teams eager to upgrade their depth in the trenches on defense, and with Mills likely out until at least the middle of the season, he’s the most natural fit to fill the hybrid edge/defensive tackle role rotation-wise. As the team did last year, it will probably be more probable that a player such as Pili sneaks through waivers without being claimed, so even though he has a case for being on the initial roster, starting off on the practice squad may be a formality to ensure Ivey sticks around. ### EDGE/Outside Linebacker (5) **Starters**: Demarcus Lawrence, Uchenna Nwosu **Backups**: Derick Hall, Boye Mafe, Tyreke Smith **Last One Out**: Connor O’Toole While the Seahawks aren’t committing to a timeline for Nwosu to be ready to suit up, the fact that he’s been removed from the PUP list before the preseason finale can’t be viewed as anything but a major positive. Barring unforeseen setbacks, he should be back on the field in the first couple games of the season, a far better outcome than the prognosis from only a few short weeks ago when he seemed to be in jeopardy of missing at least the first four games, if not more. Once he’s back in action, he will return to the starting lineup with Lawrence likely holding the other spot, while Hall and Mafe will get starter snaps rotating in behind them to provide Macdonald a strong quartet off the edge. Even with Nwosu’s impending return, however, this remains a position to watch closely in regard to potential additions. It’s unlikely general manager John Schneider will pony up big bucks and draft assets to acquire Trey Hendrickson or Micah Parsons, but veteran Jadeveon Clowney remains unsigned and has a history of performing at a high level in Macdonald’s defense, so bringing him on board before Week 1 still could happen. It’s also possible Seattle could just roll with Smith as a fifth edge, but he slipped through waivers last year after Arizona cut him and he could be a prime candidate to re-sign on the practice squad to open the year with other positions being prioritized at the back of the roster. ### Inside Linebacker (4) **Starters**: Ernest Jones IV, Tyrice Knight **Backups**: Drake Thomas, Patrick O’Connell **Last One Out**: Josh Ross Now that Jones has returned to the team following the passing of his father and looked good in a handful of preseason snaps on Friday night, the health of Knight, who has been dealing with a knee issue as well as a separate undisclosed medical issue, remains the biggest question mark for the Seahawks heading into the season. Macdonald has sounded optimistic that the second-year linebacker will be ready for Week 1, but at this point, it’s up in the air whether or not that will be the case, putting a lot of pressure on the largely untested Thomas or O’Connell as the likely replacements if he isn’t quite back to speed yet. Considering Thomas and O’Connell have each played 41 or fewer defensive regular season snaps in the NFL and Ross hasn’t even played one since coming into the league out of Michigan, this could be the position Schneider takes the closest look at on the waiver wire after the final preseason game seeking reinforcements. Finding another experienced linebacker who has played in a similar scheme to the one Macdonald deploys would ease legitimate depth concerns in the middle of the defense, especially with the outside chance Knight could miss a game or more to open the regular season. ### Cornerback (5) **Starters**: Devon Witherspoon, Riq Woolen **Backups**: Josh Jobe, Shaquill Griffin, Nehemiah Pritchett **Last One Out**: Damarion Williams **Injured Reserve**: Shemar Jean-Charles Two of the glue guys for Macdonald’s defense, Witherspoon and Woolen will resume their roles as the top two cornerbacks with plenty at stake with the former approaching his window to negotiate a new contract next spring and the latter entering the final year of his rookie deal. Compared to previous seasons, Witherspoon should see an uptick in snaps playing on the boundary while still being a weapon of choice for Macdonald out of the slot. At this point, Jobe appears to have the third spot in nickel/dime packages on lockdown after a stellar camp, especially since Griffin didn’t start practicing until August 12 after a lengthy absence for personal reasons. Despite Griffin’s lack of practice time, however, Seattle should keep him on the roster as one of their top four corners, as his experience and veteran leadership will be assets for youngsters such as Witherspoon and Pritchett, who has taken a massive step forward in his sophomore season so far and may be on the cusp of pushing Jobe for snaps on defense himself. He also presents a great insurance policy with 82 NFL starts under his belt and based on how Macdonald has done rotations in the past, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he finds his way on the field for a few snaps on Sundays in a situational role. Williams likely will be back on the practice squad, while Jean-Charles’ health status appears to be trending towards him opening the season on the shelf. ### Safety (4) **Starters**: Julian Love, Coby Bryant, Nick Emmanwori **Backup**: D’Anthony Bell **Last One Out**: Jerrick Reed II It’s not a surprise at all at this point, but the Seahawks will be employing a ton of three-safety looks this season with Love and Bryant providing established quality starters and Emmanwori entering the fold as the player with the highest ceiling and most upside of the group. Early on, especially with Knight’s medical uncertainty and the aforementioned depth question marks behind him and Jones, the second-round pick out of South Carolina could be unleashed as a pseudo-linebacker in the box, taking advantage of his size and athleticism as a chess piece who can slide out to cover the slot or blitz off the edge in a pinch. Macdonald has a history of utilizing four-safety dime packages as well, and in those instances, Bell has a solid track record from his time with the Browns as a capable situational defender who can play both safety spots as well as in the box for run support. If there’s a storyline to watch here, Reed and Ty Okada could both be in the running for one of the last roster spots because of their ability on special teams, with the former’s athletic profile and draft status making him the tougher one to potentially slip through waivers. If Seattle doesn’t want to lose Reed, that could be a factor in him being on the roster initially over players at other position groups, but it’s debatable whether he has shown enough to this point to justify such inclusion. ### Specialists (3) **Starters**: Jason Myers, Michael Dickson, Chris Stoll **Last One Out**: Zach Triner It’s been several seasons since the Seahawks have had anything to worry about with their kicking and punting game machine, but Stoll’s lingering back injury could throw a wrench into early season plans. The hope is that he will be ready for the start of the season, but if he isn’t, he will be a candidate for short-term injured reserve with Triner handling snapping duties in the meantime.