‘Strength of the 70’: Deep Seahawks Not Missing a Beat Amid Win Streak
RENTON, Wash. - When it comes to the business of turning castoffs from other teams into unexpected key contributors, the Seattle Seahawks find themselves on quite the run over the past two seasons.
Coinciding with the arrival of coach Mike Macdonald to form a new partnership alongside long-time general manager John Schneider, the Seahawks have found several gems who either were allowed to walk in free agency or released onto the waiver wire by their former team. Not surprisingly given Macdonald’s background as a former defensive coordinator for the Ravens, all of those success stories have come on the defensive side of the ball, with cornerbacks Josh Jobe and Derion Kendrick, safety D’Anthony Bell, and linebacker Chazz Surratt all leaving an imprint on Sunday’s 44-13 win over the Saints.
“I'm a broken record here: This is why we operate the way we operate,” Macdonald remarked after Sunday’s win. “I think you felt the strength of the 70 today, and really proud of those guys. It's hard to stay ready when you're not in a prominent role and these guys have done that.”
During the early stages of the 2025 season, Seattle’s depth has been tested and then some with Pro Bowl cornerback Devon Witherspoon, rookie safety Nick Emmanwori, and safety Julian Love each missing at least one of the past two games. Most teams would have been in a world of hurt with that much talent unable to suit up.
But thanks to shrewd moves orchestrated by both the coaching staff and personnel department assembling what Macdonald and Schneider have both recently called the “70-man roster,” which accounts for the active roster and 17-player practice squad, the Seahawks haven’t just survived without the likes of Witherspoon, Love, and Emmanwori. They have thrived, holding each of the last two opponents to 17 or fewer points despite the injuries in the secondary, while the aforementioned depth also paid major dividends on special teams.
Two weeks ago in Pittsburgh, a notoriously challenging road environment over the years, Jobe locked down former teammate DK Metcalf, allowing just a single catch for seven yards with a pass breakup one week after allowing just one catch for one yard with an interception against the 49ers. Kendrick, filling in for Witherspoon in the slot, a position he hadn’t played until training camp in August while still with the Rams, blew a chance to intercept Aaron Rodgers in the first half, only to amend for the mistake with a crucial end zone interception in the third quarter that sent the Steelers back to the sidelines without no points.
Then on Sunday, with Love joining Witherspoon and Emmanwori as inactive, the Seahawks again received excellent performances from reserves who arrived in town off the free agent scrap heap. While he had two penalties in the game, Jobe denied Saints receiver Chris Olave a touchdown at the goal line in coverage to continue his strong start to the season, Kendrick recorded his second interception in as many weeks along with two pass breakups, Bell recorded a tackle for loss and a blocked punt that set up a Ken Walker III rushing touchdown, and Surratt laid a pancake block on the punter to spring receiver Tory Horton for a 95-yard touchdown return.
Though Macdonald playfully jeered Kendrick for dropping an interception for a second straight week, just as they did with Jobe one year earlier after being cut by Philadelphia, his instant impact on the field when thrust into duty just three weeks after being claimed off waivers highlighted yet another example of Seattle’s personnel department working in sync with the coaching staff to continue finding quality players who offer strong scheme fits as a means to improve the roster.
“Has to go to the Leslie Frazier school of ball drills,” Macdonald joked. “There are a lot of cool game plan things, little nuances of the game plan that he picks up and executes that doesn't necessarily show on the scoreboard. To me, that's what fires me up the most because those are little edges that we chase throughout the week that give us edges. Recognizing splits and distributions and those things. Playing fast, decisive, and he's just got a knack for making plays. It's pretty cool.”
Away from reclamation projects such as Jobe and Kendrick and thrifty free agent signings such as Bell making their mark and then some with their new team, Macdonald and his staff also have seen the work done on the practice field with young players who have been with the organization for multiple seasons such as defensive end Mike Morris and safety Ty Okada start to bear fruit in game action for the Seahawks.
Now in his third season, Morris, a fifth round pick out of Michigan in 2023, has turned the corner and emerged as both a viable rotational lineman and capable special teams contributor after missing most of his rookie season due to injury and seeing limited snaps on defense in 2024. Playing both off the edge as a standup rusher and inside as a 3-tech defensive tackle, the 6-6, 295-pound defender tallied four tackles, a tackle for loss, a quarterback hit, and a pass deflection in Sunday’s win over the Saints, by far his best game as a pro to this point.
Taking notice of the work Morris has put in on the practice field with defensive coordinator Aden Durde and defensive line coach Justin Hinds, Macdonald sees his former pupil from their time together in Ann Arbor reaping the rewards of playing in a highly competitive position group featuring experienced stars such as Leonard Williams as well as rising standouts such as Byron Murphy II, which has brought out his best between the lines.
“Mike had a really good game yesterday,” Macdonald said. “He's responded to the competition that's created in his room and we expect him to keep going. That's why we create competition, you're going to get the best version of guys, your team's going to be better, and Mike's living proof of that. It's happening with a lot of positions on our team right now.”
Earning his first career NFL start in place of the injured Love, Okada also impressed while playing every single snap against New Orleans, racking up nine tackles and producing a partial sack on a blitz. He also whacked receiver Brandin Cooks on a third down completion three yards short of the first down marker, forcing the visitors to settle for a field goal.
But beyond his statistics that showed up in the box score, Macdonald praised Okada, who signed as an undrafted free agent out of Montana State in 2023, for handling his immense communication responsibilities without a hitch, helping ensure that teammates ended up where they were supposed to be while carrying out all of his assignments.
“He showed that he can go in and play winning football. We saw it in San Francisco game last year, but he's a guy that stays ready and works tremendously hard,” Macdonald said of Okada. “There’s a lot of communication that is required at that position. He communicated great yesterday. We didn't miss a beat in the back end, and he did a great job.”
Just as Macdonald and several of his players said they weren’t satisfied by a 31-point win at Lumen Field and felt they had plenty of room for improvement, the Seahawks will keep chasing edges beyond what happens on the practice or game field. Schneider and the scouting department will continue to bring players in for workouts, playing musical chairs with the active roster and practice squad each week, while also keeping tabs on players who may be let go from other teams or could potentially become available at the deadline.
If there’s a way for Seattle to improve its roster, everyone in the building from Macdonald to Schneider to pro scouts to assistant coaches want to make sure they don’t miss out on finding the next Jobe, Kendrick, or Surratt who can benefit from a change of scenery. And they certainly want to make sure no stones are left unturned in coming weeks as division races begin to take shape and trade possibilities start to come to fruition for contenders to further bolster their roster for the second half.
With no shortage of hats to wear as head coach, Macdonald has full confidence in Schneider and the rest of the personnel department to work in lockstep with the coaches to ensure that the 70-man roster remains a strength through the entirety of the season. As evidenced the past two weeks for a stingy defense that has truly embraced the Next Man Up mindset with reserves and practice squad elevations coming up big, cashing in on those opportunities can be all the difference between winning and losing in the NFL, and they will be counting on the whole roster to pitch in again in Arizona on short rest on Thursday night.
“That’s John [Schneider] and the crew, man. I can't take you through how they're doing it every day, but it's the same mentality of we're in everything, and we're chasing everything. We're always looking to make our team better and I appreciate that mentality. Us learning how we both operate and being all in together, that's how you make those types of things happen.”
