3 Seahawks who need to earn their roster spots over the last two preseason games

With the first preseason exhibition game under their belt, the Seattle Seahawks look forward to the final two weeks of the preseason before the roster must be trimmed down to 53 players. Seattle currently has 90 players signed to the active roster, meaning nearly 40 cuts need to be made. Some will be released to waivers, but some will be signed to Seattle's practice squad.

Among these 90 players fighting for a position on the team, many of them are young. Much of the roster is bloated with extremely young players who were either drafted in later rounds or undrafted at all. It is always fun to see which of these players makes a name for themselves in the preseason and earns a roster spot.

But on the other side of each Cinderella story, when one player earns a roster spot, another one loses theirs. Seattle has a lot of money tied up to many veterans and if a younger player who commands less of the cap space performs in the preseason, the Seahawks should have no problem cut ties with veterans to make room for a young successor. But who are some veterans who may have to watch their back over the next two weeks?

Three Seahawks veterans fighting for their roster spot over the next two games

Jarran Reed

The Seahawks used their first-round pick on Texas defensive tackle Byron Murphy II this April and he looked like the real deal in Seattle's first preseason game last weekend. He figures to start on the defensive line next to veteran Jarran Reed. Reed, coming off a solid 2023 campaign, accounts for over $6 million towards the cap this season, but has no guaranteed money, according to Over The Cap.

Another piece of bad news for Reed is the fact that UDFA defensive tackle from SMU, DeVere Levelston, had himself a game last weekend. The 23-year-old Levelston accounts for less than $1 million if he were to make the team. Further, younger players like Myles Adams and Cameron Young may be better off developing in Mike Macdonald's defense for the future. Seattle even signed fellow veteran defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins this past offseason.

If Reed shows any signs of regression or slowing down over the next couple of weeks, he could end up a cap casualty in favor of another younger, cheaper player. Reed turns 32 this season and only has one more year on his contract after 2024. Seattle would love a repeat of his 2023 production, but if there is any sign of regression and another younger player is showing flashes, Reed may be expendable come cut day.

Darrell Taylor

The one word to describe edge rusher Darrell Taylor to me is "inconsistent". Since being drafted in the second round of the 2021 draft, Taylor has shown flashes, but could never sustain them. As a rookie, Taylor racked up 6.5 sacks, a decent year for a rookie. And in his sophomore season, he elevated that number to 9.5 to go along with four forced fumbles. However, last season, in 17 games played, Taylor only recorded 17 tackles and 5.5 sacks, a career low.

This season is the final season of Taylor's original four-year rookie deal. His cap hit is just north of $3 million, but only $20,000 of it is guaranteed. Taylor's largest weakness coming out of the University of Tennessee was his defense against the run. Four years later, that is still a glaring weakness in his game.

I would genuinely love to see this early draft pick pay off this season, but if Taylor still doesn't develop and shows no signs of taking it to the next level over the next two weeks, he could realistically be waived. Seattle has younger players not seeing the field because of Taylor, including Derick Hall - a second-round choice in 2023.

The fact Uchenna Nwosu is returning fully healthy doesn't bode well for Taylor either as his opportunities are waning thin. I think it would be wise for Seattle to move on if Taylor doesn't flash over these next two crucial weeks.

Dee Eskridge

It's interesting referring to Dee Eskridge as a veteran, but the fact he has been given chance after chance only to crash and burn at each opportunity makes him extremely expendable this offseason. To play devil's advocate, Eskridge has not been able to see the field much due to injury. Injuries are never a player's fault and I don't believe it should be held against him as a player. Secondly, Eskridge took a pay cut to remain with the team in 2024, so I do believe he's earned another shot to earn a roster spot.

At the end of the day, Mike Macdonald did not draft Eskridge. I'm positive he feels no obligation to retain the fourth-year wide receiver amid his injuries, off-the-field issues, and mostly underwhelming play. With the emergence of Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Jake Bobo, coupled with the encouraging play last week of guys like Easop Winston and Laviska Shenault, all signs point towards Eskridge ultimately losing his roster spot.

There have been flashes of his former college self as recently as Thanksgiving last season against the 49ers, but is that enough to warrant him taking a roster spot from someone else?

Personally, I'm rooting for Dee Eskridge. I'd love to see him have two fantastic games to close the preseason and end up a contributor in the regular season. You can never have too many productive wide receivers. However, realistically, his time is running out and if you're an NFL general manager and you look at Eskridge against someone like Shenault or Winston, you'd likely choose to move on from Eskridge and give someone else a chance.

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