4 Seattle Seahawks fan favorites who are in danger of being cut before Week 1
By Lee Vowell
Seahawks wide receiver Dareke Young
I really like the Dareke Young story. He came from a small school where the program didn't have a real way to use his skills because the rest of the team wasn't very good but then Young came into training camp in 2022 and worked his butt off to make the team even after being just a seventh-round choice. Young did whatever Seattle asked him to do last season and he was excellent on special teams and then he finally got his chance to catch a couple of passes very late in the season.
The problem for Young is that Seattle drafted Jaxon Smith-Njigba in the first round in 2023 and everyone got pushed further down the depth chart because of it. Anyone not named DK Metcalf or Tyler Lockett, of course. Perhaps the guy who has the best chance to be WR4 is Dee Eskridge. That's only because Eskridge is a former second-round pick and has been terrible through two seasons and it simply seems as if he has got to be better at some point.
Young could potentially play his way into the WR4 role but he is also limited in his versatility. Whereas Eskridge could play some out of the slot, Young is too big for that. Plus, if Seattle only sticks with five wide receivers on the active roster, they could go with Cade Johnson or Jake Bobo. Releasing Young saves Seattle $819,450 and that's not nothing for a team close against the cap and who might want to pick up a veteran free agent defensive lineman released before Week 1.
Still, I hope Young makes the team. Many 12s probably do because Young is a great storyline as he's had to overcome a lot just to get to the NFL. Plus, it seems like if he got his chance to see more targets that he could be somewhat productive.