3 Seattle Seahawks whose jobs are in danger ahead of preseason Week 3

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.

Seattle Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon

Witherspoon is going to make the team, so don't misinterpret his being on this list as me being even more of an idiot than I normally am. But the job he might lose is being a starter to begin the year. Witherspoon clearly isn't going to start at outside corner. Even when healthy in training camp he was getting more reps in the slot than on the outside. This irritated many 12s because why would the Seahawks choose a corner fifth overall in the draft to play the slot? I can't blame them, but surely there is a reason for the madness.

But Witherspoon also hasn't been healthy for most of training camp and hasn't played in the preseason. How can a rookie be expected to play Week 1 if they haven't gotten many reps to prepare for their first regular season game? What's worse is that Seattle will play the Los Angeles Rams in Week 1 and at this point in their careers a matchup in the slot that would feature Witherspoon versus Cooper Kupp is an extreme advantage for the Rams.

If I had to guess, I would assume to begin the season Seattle moves Coby Bryant back from safety to the slot and Bryant starts there. Witherspoon, if he is healthy enough by Week 1, will get some resp, but he will have to ease his way into getting the majority of snaps. Witherspoon might be a Hall of Famer one day, but he isn't there yet.

Bryant back to the slot, at least temporarily, might cause some rearranging over who makes the team as well. The Seahawks will need depth at safety if Bryant is playing the slot. Rookie Jonathan Sutherland has been really good in camp and in the preseason so he could make the team if Bryant is not listed as a safety. And Sutherland can thank Witherspoon for that.

Seattle Seahawks cornerback Mike Jackson

Mike Jackson was good in 2022 as a surprise starter. He ended up starting every game last year and allowed a quarterback rating when targeted of just 75.8. Only 55 percent of the passes thrown his way were caught. But he is being pushed for his starting spot currently by Tre Brown. And Jackson took a huge step back against the Dallas Cowboys when backup receiver Jalen Tolbert abused Jackson early and often in the game.

Part of the issue with Jackson being good last year is not only is he expected to be that good again this year but that opposing teams will pay more attention to how to attack him as well. Tolbert beat Jackson deep and also beat him on a slant pass. Did Dallas know what to do to get the passes completed or did Jackson just have a horrible game and he will be better against the Packers?

Jackson hasn't yet in his career been one to create turnovers either. He had just one interception last year and that is the only one of his career so far. Brown didn't play very much due to injuries in his first two years, and didn't have an interception either. But while Jackson hasn't had a pick this preseason, Brown had one in the second half of preseason Week 2 when the Cowboys were near the goal line. Brown read the play well, and took the ball away.

Whoever starts in Week 1 of the regular season might simply come down to who plays better against the Packers. Brown and Jackson are probably going to both get a lot of reps in preseason Week 3. But no matter who wins the starting job, they are both in a better position than Devon Witherspoon.

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