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12th Man Rising
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Seattle Seahawks: roster selection was full of “Win Now” moves

By Keith Myers

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The Seattle Seahawks set their initial 53 man roster earlier today. There were plenty of surprises. This initial roster left analysts with plenty of questions.

For Starters, the Seahawks kept three RBs and two FBs, with Christine Michael, Thomas Rawls and Will Tukuafu all making the roster. Then there’s Fred Jackson, who will be added to the roster at some point this weekend.

As things stand right now, the Seahawks Seahawks have 2 FBs on the roster. They only used FB on 16 percents of their snaps last season. The second FB is clearly a waste of a roster spot.

Jackson would give the Seahawks six backs, which is two more than is typical. It is very likely that Tukuafu is cut to make room for Jackson. Even with that, the team will be be carrying an extra RB.

This seems to indicate that the Seahawks are still hoping to find a trade partner for Michael. If they cannot get value for him that they like, than Rawls will likely be let go at some point.

Jackson is 34. Losing a youngster like Rawls or Michael for a 34 year old RB is a move that will always be questioned.

The Seahawks also decided to drop all of the young receivers and stick with the uninspiring veterans who contribute on special teams. This is going to be one that is especially tough on the fans to understand.

Ricardo Lockette is 28, and was clearly the worst WR on the roster in training camp. He is also great as a gunner on kick and punt coverage, but he has no upside to ever contribute to the offense.

Kevin Smith and Kasen Williams, on the other hand, both appeared to have skills to help at wide receiver. Now both are gone. The Seahawks are hoping at least one of them clears waivers to lands on the practice squad.

Over the on the defensive side of the ball, the Seahawks also chose some low-ceiling veterans over promising youngers in places. Linebacker Mike Morgan stuck on the roster while Eric Pinkins was given his walking papers.

Morgan is a career backup, while Pinkins is a highly athletic former safety with incredible speed. The Seahawks kept Morgan for his special teams abilities even though he offers next to nothing for the Seahawks in the future. It is the same as with Lockette.

The Seahawks also cut promising young defensive tackle TY McGill and cancer survivor Jesse Williams. Still on the roster are Demarcus Dobbs and David King, both of which are older and have less upside.

All of these move together plaint a clear picture that the Seahawks are in win-now mode. They know that upcoming salary-cap concerns means that winning will become more difficult in future seasons and are trying to maximize their chances of winning in 2015.

Hopefully it doesn’t come back to bite them in 2016.

Next: Report: Seahawks seeking a Kam Chancellor trade

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