Three Seahawks that took giant steps in preseason Week 1 toward making 2023 roster

Seahawks add another guided missile to the defensive backfield

Jerrick Reed II, safety. Reed is the most likely player of the three to make the squad, even with the successful debut of Coby Bryant at safety. The Seahawks drafted Reed in the sixth round, and as our own Jake Luppino wrote at the time, Jerrick Reed simply doesn't miss tackles. At 5'10" and 195 pounds, he doesn't exactly fit the Bam Bam mold. But with his 4.44 speed, he delivers every ounce of that weight with every hit. No, he isn't 6'3" and 225 pounds, but he sure as heck plays like he is.

The Hawks safety position is in a state of extreme fluidity right now. We won't know exactly who Seattle will keep until we know more about the health of Jamal Adams. If Adams can go, then the dominoes begin to fall. Julian Love, currently starting at strong safety, shifts to rotational play - or perhaps the nickel, if Devon Witherspoon sees significant time away from the field. That pushes everyone else down a roster spot as well, naturally. Coby Bryant isn't going anywhere, as he's looking solid at safety and can certainly play the slot, too.

That brings it down to a contest between Jerrick Reed and returning safety Joey Blount. Blount's a little bigger but played exclusively on special teams last season. We haven't seen what Reed can do in a regular season game, that's true, but in practice, in the game against Minnesota, and in four years as a starter in college, we've seen that he can hit and he can tackle.

Both of those abilities were in short supply too often in last year's defense. Blount may have a higher floor since we've seen him perform at the speed of the NFL, but Reed clearly has the higher ceiling. If roster cuts come down between the two, the Seahawks have to keep the man who sells out on every play. Clearly, that man is Jerrick Reed II.

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