3 Seattle Seahawks whose jobs are in danger ahead of preseason Week 3
By Lee Vowell
The Seattle Seahawks play the Green Bay Packers in Seattle's final preseason game of 2023. There are several roster spots or starting spots available for players to prove they should have. We know who QB1 is, of course, but we might not know who the starting cornerbacks are yet.
Some units have an abundance of talent (always a good thing) but that could be causing some high-end competition for who is going to start. There is a glut of good edge rushers, for instance. Besides Uchenna Nwosu, what other edge rusher is going to start?
On the list that follows, two players are going to make the team but could lose their presumed starting spots. One player is fighting for his roster spot.
Seattle Seahawks edge rusher Tyreke Smith
Smith is hurt by the depth that the Seahawks have in their edge rusher group, and in an odd way, he is pushed down the depth chart because Darrell Taylor has been injured and has proven to be only a pass rusher in the NFL so far. Taylor isn't good against the run, so Taylor might be overtaken in his starting spot by Boye Mafe. Maybe even rookie Derick Hall overtakes Taylor at some point in 2023 as well. But Taylor can rush the passer pretty well.
The Seahawks will likely use a rotation at edge rusher, sure, but they will likely value versatility over a one-dimensional pass rusher. But while Smith is potentially a decent player, he is also a fifth-round pick who is cheaper to release than keep and he already has an injury history. His grades this season, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required), are just mediocre.
And if a fringe edge rusher is going to stick on the team, Levi Bell might be the guy. Bell is short, but his motor never stops. He is willing to do anything the team asks to help them win (block on offense? Sure!), and that is going to earn him points with the coaching staff. Plus, Bell has excellent lower-body strength and that helps him get pressure on quarterbacks. If Bell shows out against the Packers and Smith doesn't, anything is possible.