3 Seahawks draft picks who may be playing their last game in Seattle vs Browns

The Seattle Seahawks play their final preseason game of the 2024 season against the Cleveland Browns on Saturday. This is the last chance for players to show they deserve a roster spot for Seattle. Roster cuts happen on Tuesday, August 27.

There are several former Seattle draft picks who are battling to make the roster. Some 12s can assume probably won't be on the team, such as offensive tackle Michael Jarrell, but the hope there was probably more for Jerrell to make the practice squad. Other players might feel as if they have a real chance to make the roster.

The three players below likely need fantastic games against the Browns to make the Seahawks coaching staff and general manager John Schneider think twice about releasing them.

3 Seahawks former draft picks who may be playing their last game in Seattle vs Browns

Wide receiver Dee Eskridge (2021)

Eskridge always picks the worst times to be hurt. In 2023, he finally seemed to be making some kind of an impact as a kick returner but after a great showing against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 12, he did not play for the rest of the year. The receiver seems to have no understanding of how to keep playing week in and week out.

He also missed preseason Week 2 against the Tennessee Titans after having somewhat of a decent camp. If nothing else, he might have been in a battle with Laviska Shenault to be the main kick returner. Shenault played well again in the preseason against Tennessee and likely made Eskridge moot.

Without being too hyperbolic, Eskridge probably needs to have the game of his professional life in order to stick on Seattle's 2024 roster. At best he would be WR6 as Shenault is WR5, but as Eskridge does the same things as Shenault but gets hurt far too much, there is no reason to keep him on the team.

Cornerback D.J. James (2024)

James has been terrible in the preseason and looks as if he had to play meaningful snaps in real games the other team would pick on him with great success. James hasn't shown he can cover well and isn't helpful in run support. Seattle still has one too many cornerbacks on the roster even after trading Mike Jackson on Thursday.

James also has limited position flexibility. He is more of a pure slot corner and that spot belongs to Devon Witherspoon when the Seahawks do have three cornerbacks on the field. Should something happen to Witherspoon, Coby Bryant could likely slide into that spot and be decent.

The best case for James, even if he has a great game against the Browns, is that he will hang around on the practice squad. The speed and tenacity of the game seem too much for him currently. Maybe with a little seasoning on the practice squad, he can one day be an OK backup. Even that is highly doubtful, though.

Safety Marquise Blair (2019)

To be fair, Blair has been a bit better than expected in the first two preseason games, especially as he did not play anywhere in 2023. He had to shake off some rust and be in good enough football shape to step in immediately and be productive. He has proven he can still hit hard and play a physical game, but he also still shows that he can be extremely undisciplined at times.

The hope for Blair is that he has shown enough in the preseason for another team to pick him up. The Seahawks might be without presumed starter Rayshawn Jenkins for a bit after he suffered a leg injury in practice recently, but Seattle has enough depth without Blair having to stick around to be OK. K'Von Wallace, for instance, can step into Jenkins's spot while Bryant is a key backup.

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