The Seahawks have one game left in their 2017 preseason. That’s one game for players to try to make the 53-man roster. There are still some spots open. With that said, here is my latest projection (slash total guess) for who plays in Seattle this season.
Final roster cuts in the NFL have to be made by 1 pm PT on September 2nd, which is this Saturday. A lot of Seattle roster spots are probably filled with veteran Seahawks. Guys like Russell Wilson, Richard Sherman and Blitz are sure to show their faces for the home team in 2017. (Well, in Blitz’s case, the costume’s face.)
Here is my latest prediction of who makes the 53-man roster for Seattle. (I have highlighted in bold the players who are new to my projection.)
Offense
Quarterbacks (2):
Starter: Russell Wilson
Backup: Trevone Boykin
Toughest Cut: Austin Davis
Summary: Well, Boykin stunk against the Kansas City Chiefs. Completed pass? Nope. Interception? Yes. QBR? Um, that would be zero. Austin Davis then came in and looked great! Backup quarterback battle will commence against the Oakland Raiders in the Seattle’s preseason finale on Thursday.
Running Backs (6):
Starter: Thomas Rawls
Backups: Eddie Lacy, C.J. Prosise , J.D. McKissic and Chris Carson
Fullback: Marcel Reece
Toughest Cuts: Mike Davis and Tre Madden
Summary: Remember Alex Collins? Seattle did not seem to against the Chiefs on Friday. He had zero carries. Consider his Seahawks career over and done.
I still think Reece makes the team. I thought he would be a lock. But after Tre Madden did so well on Friday, now I am not so sure. Madden is younger but far less proven. Plus, Reece has not done much in the preseason.
I also think Rawls is the starter in week one. The hope is he was actually healthy enough to play on Friday and the Seahawks just held him out because he didn’t need to risk injury. Lacy played pretty well on Friday, though, so anything is possible as far as week one starter.
Prosise is a big concern. Pete Carroll suggested he could have played against the Chiefs. But he seems so fragile.
McKissic offers the versatility of playing tailback and returning kicks. He could also play out wide as a receiver. With some doubt about Tyler Lockett’s immediate ability to return kicks and punts, McKissic might be a must for the Seahawks to keep. Plus, I have him listed at running back because that is what he played against the Chiefs.
Carson has been a beast in the preseason. Let’s hope he carries that into the regular season.
Wide Receivers (6):
Starters: Doug Baldwin, Tyler Lockett and Paul Richardson
Backups: Jermaine Kearse, Amara Darboh and Kasen Williams
Toughest Cut: Tanner McEvoy
Summary: Williams was not as great against the Chiefs as he has been the rest of this preseason. But Boykin was throwing him the passes, so he cannot really be critiqued correctly.
Kearse looked like Kearse can do at his best of times Friday. He made tough catches and looked strong. Almost as if someone mentioned to Kearse that he had a chance of not making the team.
Darboh makes the team, but should he? Simply because he was drafted this season? He certainly hasn’t been better in camp or the preseason than McEvoy. Or David Moore. Or Cyril Grayson.
Seriously, let’s get Baldwin, Richardson and Lockett all out there week one and healthy and let opposing defenses deal with them. Good luck!
Tight Ends (3):
Starter: Jimmy Graham
Backups: Luke Willson and Nick Vannett
Summary: Graham looked excellent in limited time. He’s ready.
Willson and Vannett will contribute some, but this is Graham’s world.
Offensive Line (9):
Starters: LT Rees Odhiambo, LG Luke Joeckel, C Justin Britt, RG Oday Aboushi, RT Germain Ifedi
Backups: Ethan Pocic, Mark Glowinski, Jordan Roos and Matt Tobin
IR: George Fant
Toughest Cut: Joey Hunt
Summary: That Pocic has been taking snaps at center most likely means Hunt is gone. The Seahawks want to keep nine linemen. Hunt has the least amount of versatility and versatility is what Seattle likes that in all units of their team.
I have switched up who I think will start. Odhiambo did well enough to make me think he might be an OK left tackle. Joeckel mostly looks pretty guard. So he should stay there. Glowinski and Aboushi will battle it out against the Raiders for the right to start week one. But I think Aboushi has been better in preseason games so far. Ifedi was better against the Chiefs. He needs to work on his consistency, though.
Tobin has been added to the team via trade since my last projection and has done OK. If Odhiambo suffers, Tobin will go in.
Defense
Defensive Line (9):
Starters: DE Michael Bennett, DT Ahtyba Rubin, DT Jarran Reed, DE Cliff Avril
Backups: Frank Clark, Nazair Jones, Cassius Marsh, David Bass and Quinton Jefferson
NFI: Malik McDowell
Toughest Cuts: Garrison Smith and Christian French
Summary: I have no changes to this group. There are at least five locks in this unit to make the team. Most of the others are close to that. Jefferson, if he stays healthy, will see a lot of action as a backup. Bass did not do anything against the Chiefs to make him not be on the roster.
Linebacker (6):
Starters: Bobby Wagner and K.J. Wright
Backups: Michael Wilhoite, Terence Garvin, D.J. Alexander and Marcus Smith
Toughest Cuts: Dewey McDonald and Mike Morgan
Summary: I am adding two linebackers to this projection. After watching the Seahawks special teams coverage not do great things on Friday, I see Alexander making the team. He has been out for a little bit, but based on his Pro Bowl experience in 2016 he should be fine.
Smith saw a lot of snaps with the first-team defense against the Chiefs. The Seahawks clearly want to work him in and he played well.
Morgan has been a disappointment in his return. And McDonald has done good things. There is just no room for him with this group of linebackers.
Cornerbacks (5):
Starters: Richard Sherman and Jeremy Lane
Backups: Shaquill Griffin, Tramaine Brock and Neiko Thorpe
PUP: DeShawn Shead
Toughest Cuts: Mike Tyson DeAndre Elliott and Pierre Desir
Summary: This is the unit I have the largest amount of changes from my last projection. I now think the Seahawks go with five cornerbacks and not six. The reason for this is because the players expected to get the most snaps, Lane and Sherman and Griffin, have looked like a solid core.
Brock still plays too far off receivers at the line, but he had a really good game after his first series on Friday. His experience will help him stick on the roster and allow Seattle to trust him.
Thorpe versus Desir? That could go either way. I think Thorpe stays and Desir leaves because Thorpe is more familiar with the Seahawks’ system.
Safeties (4):
Starters: Kam Chancellor and Earl Thomas
Backups: Delano Hill and Bradley McDougald
Toughest Cut: Tedric Thompson
Summary: I have given up on my hope that McDougald would be more involved in nickel packages. For this reason, I think Thompson goes. The rookie simply has not done enough to prove he should be on the active roster. If Seattle cuts him, chances are Thompson will get snapped up and not be available for the practice squad.
Specialists (3):
Kicker: Blair Walsh
Punter: Jon Ryan
Long snapper: Tyler Ott
Return specialist, both kick and punt returns: Tyler Lockett
Summary: So, the Seahawks made an effort to improve their special teams this offseason. At one point it felt like Seattle had a rotating door of linebackers to try to find the right mix of guys who can cover kicks.
Then, against the Chiefs, the Seahawks allow a kickoff return for a touchdown. And Jon Ryan had a punt blocked. This is surely not what the Seahawks were hoping for. True, this is preseason. But special teams is usually straightforward. Kick the ball to the other team and tackle the return guy. Seattle needs to do a much better job of this in the regular season.
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Seattle might have an abundance of talent on offense and defense, but special teams can lose them games.
Walsh continues to be impressive in both kickoffs and field goal attempts. This is a very good thing.