The Seattle Seahawks are getting very close to making their final roster decision for 2026. On Friday, the team will play its final preseason game against the Kansas City Chiefs, and then there are just two days to trim the roster to 53.
Final cuts have been moved up two days this year to Sunday, August 30, at 3 pm PT. In previous years, rosters needed to be announced by Tuesday at 1 pm PT. This puts more pressure on teams to make correct decisions with slightly less time to make them.
At least with the Seahawks, most of the roster was set, with a lot of players returning after winning the Super Bowl last year. To repeat in 2026, some lesser-known players clinging to the bottom of the roster need to step up.
53-man 2026 roster porojection for the Seattle Seahawks ahead of preseason Week 3
Quarterback (3)
QB1: Sam Darnold
QB2: Drew Lock
QB3: Jalen Milroe
Darnold is obviously the person the Seahawks hope will be the long-term QB1. He is signed through 2027, and if he has another season like the last two, next year Seattle will probably offer him a long-term deal.
Lock looked quite good against the starters for the Tennessee Titans in preseason Week 2 and is a quality QB2. With Milroe, he needs to prove he can limit his turnovers. He hasn't shown he can do that in the preseason, though. He will make the team, but the hope is he never has to play.
Running back/fullback (4)
Starter: Jadarian Price
Backups: George Holani, Emanuel Wilson
Fullback: Brady Russell
PUP: Zach Charbonnet
IR: Robbie Ouzts
What the team does on Sunday when roster cuts have to be finalized with Charbonnet will be telling. If he doesn't start on the physically unable to perform list, that implies he might not be ready for Week 1 but could be ready before Week 5.
If he doesn't start on PUP, Wilson or Holani probably need to be released, and Holani, as much as the team has shown trust in him this preseason, could be the odd man out.
Wide receiver (5)
WR1: Jaxon Smith-Njigba
WR2: Cooper Kupp
WR3: Rashid Shaheed
Backups: Tory Horton, Montorie Foster Jr.
IR: Jake Bobo
Practice squad: Cody White
One has to wonder if the Seahawks will keep an extra wide receiver due to the injury issues the team has suffered. Horton has missed a bunch of camp with some kind of ailment, and Kupp has a long injury history. Should they miss time, is Foster ready to get a lot of reps?
He is obviously a great story with a great family (which is clear from the episodes of Hard Knocks he has been on), and he has played well in camp and the preseason, though he has committed too many penalties. Still, Seattle isn't afraid to take chances on undrafted free agents, even in their second year, and Foster will likely be the latest.
Foster might also fall to the practice squad if he isn't kept on the active roster. If that happens, White could take his place, as he is a proven quality player on special teams.
Tight ends (3)
Starter: AJ Barner
Backups: Elijah Arroyo, Eric Saubert
Practice squad: Nick Kallerup
Three or four is the question the Seattle Seahawks have to answer. The problem is that the team lost Robbie Ouzts to a neck injury, and he was going to be the main fullback. In his absence, the team might keep four tight ends and have Kallerup play the role of Ouzts at times.
The real hope with this group is that Barner and Arroyo have tremendous receiving seasons. Barner has already proven his goodness. Arroyo could become an elite receiving tight end.
Offensive line (10)
Starters: LT Charles Cross, LG Grey Zabel, C Jalen Sundell, RG Anthony Bradford, RT Abraham Lucas
Backups: Josh Jones, Bryce Cabeldue, Christian Haynes, Beau Stephens, Olu Oluwatimi
IR: Mason Richman
The starters are set, but the backups could change quite a bit. Amari Kight could stick on the roster as a swing tackle, but Jones fits that role, and Kight could land on the practice squad. Richman's injury might allow Haynes to stick on the team where he otherwise might have been released. If nothing else, Haynes was solid in preseason Week 2.
Defensive line (6)
Starters: Leonard Williams, Jarran Reed, Byron Murphy II
Backups: Rylie Mills, Brandon Pili, Mike Morris
The issue for players like Uso Seumalo and Deven Eastern with this position group is numbers. Six defensive linemen will likely be kept at most, and the number could even be five. The team probably hopes Seumalo and Eastern are available to re-sign to the practice squad.
Mills could be in for a breakout season, and he can play anywhere along the line. If he succeeds, this unit could be the best in the NFL, no matter whether Aaron Donald returns to the Los Angeles Rams or not.
Edge rusher (5)
Starters: DeMarcus Lawrence, Derick Hall
Backups: Uchenna Nwosu, Dante Fowler Jr., Connor O'Toole
Keeping four players here is an option, and Lawrence, Hall, Nwosu, and Fowler are obviously locks to make the team. O'Toole has tons of raw skill, and the team might be afraid of losing him on waivers should he not be part of the original 53-man roster. O'Toole has also been electric in the preseason.
Inside linebacker (4)
Starters: Ernest Jones IV, Drake Thomas
Backups: Tyrice Knight, Chazz Surratt
No real drama here. The only question is whether, at some point in the season, Knight overtakes Thomas for the starting spot. Knight has had a terrific training camp and preseason. Surratt likely sticks on the roster because of his special teams acumen.
Cornerback (6)
Starters: Josh Jobe, Devon Witherspoon, Nick Emmanwori (slot)
Backups: Julian Neal, Nehemiah Pritchett, Trevon Diggs
Suspended/exempt: Terrion Arnold
Witherspoon and Jobe are clearly keepers, and Emmanwori is here because of his positional flexibility. After those three, and assuming Emmanwori returns soon from the ankle surgery he had in July, the goodness of the group is iffy. Neal is a rookie and missed some of camp with a leg issue. Pritchett hasn't been sustainably good in his career. Diggs has had a lot of knee injuries.
Safety (4)
Starters: Julian Love, Ty Okada
Backups: Bud Clark, AJ Finley
IR: Bud Clark
With Emmanwori listed as a cornerback here simply because he will play in the slot quite a bit, only four safeties will stay on the roster. Clark would have made five, but his ankle injury will keep him out for the season, unfortunately.
Specialists (3)
Kicker: Jason Myers
Punter: Michael Dickson
Long snapper: Chris Stoll
Kick returner: Rashid Shaheed
Punter returner: Rashid Shaheed
The specialists are set and great, as long as Myers doesn't continue his trend of missing kicks in the preseason. He's been very good for many years, so let's hope whatever his current issue is goes away. Shaheed could only return kicks or punts, as Tory Horton is capable of doing either. The concern is Horton's injury history.
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