Mike Morris has one advantage that few other Seattle Seahawks players do. That is that he played at the University of Michigan, and during one of those years, Mike Macdonald was his defensive coordinator. In other words, the current head coach in the Pacific Northwest has known how to get the best out of Morris for quite some time.
What that doesn't mean, though, is that even when Morris is at his best, he is worthy of keeping on the 53-man roster. Entering the final year of his rookie deal, the defensive lineman hasn't gotten a defensive start in his three previous seasons; he has never recorded a sack and has whiffed on 16.7 percent of his tackle attempts.
In the second half of the 2025 season, Seattle appeared to have less faith in Morris than it did earlier in the season. After receiving double-digit snap totals from Week 9 through Week 13, he didn't have more than seven in four of the final six games. He had nine in two others.
Mike Morris could be fighting for his Seattle Seahawks life in training camp
The 2023 fifth-round pick didn't have more than 70 snaps on defense in either of his first two seasons, but he wasn't overly effective in pass rush or run defense. He doesn't offer anything that the Seahawks specifically need, but, to be fair, he is solid on special teams.
That likely isn't enough to guarantee him a roster spot, though. The team has a lot of players capable of being good in the third phase of the game, and that unit is extremely well-coached by Jay Harbaugh. The coach can help turn most players into good special teams contributors.
Mike Morris is currently listed as the backup to Leonard Williams at defensive end, but that gets complicated. Second-year pro Rylie Mills can also play DE, and he will be fully healthy in training camp for the first time. Last year, he missed camp while recovering from a knee injury he suffered in his final year at Notre Dame. He will be getting more reps in 2026.
J.R. Singleton went undrafted in 2025, and while he didn't play a defensive snap last season, he has good size at 6'2" and 305 pounds and is heftier than Mooris. Mike Macdonald should be able to find a niche for him in the complex scheme.
The positive for Morris is that the Seattle Seahawks are very unlikely to release him for financial reasons when final roster cuts are made in late August. Cutting Morris saves the team $1,145,000, but Seattle isn't hurting for open cap space. If Morris doesn't make the team, it's because another player (or players) have beaten him out for a job.
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