Predicting who makes Seahawks 55 – yes 55 – man roster for Week 1

Defense

Defensive tackles – LJ Collier, Poona Ford, Bryan Mone and Al Woods

It’s a make-or-break year for Collier. He is in the last year of his rookie deal and if he isn’t very good he might not play in the NFL again. That said, he seems to have bulked up and the plan is for him to play more on the inside of the line and hopefully supply some interior pass rush. Ford and Woods are fantastic run-stoppers but don’t offer much in pass rush.

Defensive ends – Shelby Harris, Quinton Jefferson, Alton Robinson, Boye Mafe and Tyreke Smith

Harris could make a big difference this season when it comes to chasing down QBs. He is good enough to play inside but is one of the purest ends that Seattle has. Jefferson has made himself into a solid pass rusher. Robinson needs a chance to play. And Mafe and Smith are rookies who have the ability to provide speed on the outside.

Linebackers/Edge rushers – Cody Barton, Jordyn Brooks, Darrell Taylor, Uchenna Nwosu, Ben Burr-Kirven and Joel Iyiegbuniwe

This is the group that will say whether the defense is good overall. Barton replaces Bobby Wagner but has flashed solid ability to run sideline-to-sideline and also cover out better than Wagner. Brooks should be in the Pro Bowl this year and for many years to come.

Taylor and Nwosu are here more for pass rush and both could be great in defensive coordinator Clint Hurtt’s system. Burr-Kriven and Iyiegbuniwe make the team for their special teams prowess.

Cornerbacks – Tre Brown, Sidney Jones, Tariq Woolen, Justin Coleman and Coby Bryant

This group is boom-or-bust. Jones was good in the second half of 2021 but not great before that. Brown looked like he could be a long-term starter at times but had an injury-shortened rookie season last year so who knows how good he really is? Coleman should at least solve the Seahawks slot corner issues.

Bryant and Woolen could fight to be starters by the middle of the season, especially Bryant. If either Jones or Brown struggles, Seattle shouldn’t hesitate to replace them with Bryant.

Safeties – Quandre Diggs, Jamal Adams, Marquise Blair, Ugo Amadi and Ryan Neal

Seattle has two of the higher salaried safeties in Diggs and Adams and that’s because both are good. I expect Adams will have a much better season under Hurtt than he did under Ken Norton, Jr. in 2021. Neal is good enough to fill in for Adams and not be a huge drop-off.

Blair can play either free or strong safety and, if he can stay healthy, be a good player. Amadi needs to be off the team by 2023.