2023 Seattle Seahawks final 53-man roster breakdown and grades

Seattle Seahawks edge rusher (5)

Uchenna Nwosu, Darrell Taylor, Boye Mafe, Tyreke Smith, Derick Hall

Can I just start by saying how massively frustrating Darrell Taylor is? I have no inner knowledge of how he works with the Seahawks coaches and what kind of communication he has with them. No one other than people in the locker room knows that. But it must be noted that Taylor doesn't seem to play unless he feels like he is ready to play. Pete Carroll made it sound as if Taylor would be out for a short time in late July but recently said he doesn't know when Taylor will return.

The good part of that is that while Taylor can rush the passer inconsistently well, he might be getting passed by on the depth chart by Boye Mafe anyway. Mafe is bigger and stronger than Taylor and he certainly plays the run better than Taylor could ever do. Mafe was getting starter reps even before Taylor injured his shoulder, so maybe the Seahawks are aware that Mafe is more equal than Taylor, too.

Hall injured his shoulder in preseason Week 3 so how long he remains out, if at all, remains to be seen. He, like Mafe, is bigger and stronger than Taylor so he could leap Taylor on the depth chart as well, simply because he seems capable of being a much more versatile player than Taylor.

Uchenna Nwosu was fantastic last year. He just got no consistent help from Taylor. If teams are having to focus on Mafe or Hall, that is only going to help Nwosu. As far as Smith goes, he's got the body-type that Carroll likes, but he missed 2022 so he is basically a rookie in 2023.

Grade: B