4 players Seattle Seahawks must make room for on the final 53-man roster

No. 2 - Seahawks safety Jonathan Sutherland

Sutherland is a tweener. He will never be big enough to be a linebacker as he is 5'11" and 205 pounds, but he doesn't really have the speed to play free safety. Still, through the preseason he is just out on the field making plays. Sutherland only had 1 interception in college at Penn State, so he isn't a ball-hawk, but he does seem to put himself in the right positions to make stops.

He was well-coached at Penn State so he has that going for him. He also appears to remain calm on the field and doesn't act like a rookie and overreact to what is happening in front of him. According to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), Sutherland is the seventh-highest-graded Seattle defensive player this preseason. He has plus-grades in relation to coverage, tackling, and run defense.

Sutherland also has 3 quarterback hurries in preseason, and that number might be the most unexpected and pleasant for the Seattle coaching staff. Sutherland only had 1.5 sacks in five seasons at Penn State so it wasn't like he was rushing the quarterback all the time. And he only had 8 tackles for loss, so he wasn't overly explosive.

Seattle also might need more depth at safety than they thought a week ago. While Devon Witherspoon should be back at practice this week, he has missed so much time that Coby Bryant starting in the slot in Week 1 isn't out of the realm of possibility. This might open a spot at safety for depth and Sutherland has played as well as any other Seahawks safety in preseason so far.