Three starters on the Seattle Seahawks Super Bowl-winning squad last year were undrafted free agents. Jalen Sundell, Drake Thomas and Josh Jobe. None heard their name called in their respective draft years.
They each got phone calls after the fact. I can make the number higher by counting Seattle’s three specialists. Michael Dickson was, in fact, drafted, but neither Jason Myers nor Chris Stoll got to hear Mel Kiper wax poetic about what a steal some team just got.
Counting the specialists, that’s five out of 25, or 20% of the starters on an NFL champion. Apparently, UDFAs matter.
Seattle Seahawks UDFAs will have a tough route to the roster in 2026
In each of the last three seasons, Seattle has had multiple such players make its final 53-man roster. Last year, the number was three – Nick Kallerup, Jared Ivey and Connor O’Toole. Some shuttled back and forth between the main roster and the practice squad throughout the season, but all three won jobs.
In addition to the eight players already named, six other UDFAs played more than a handful of snaps for Seattle during the regular season in 2025. Ty Okada (class of 2023) was very important. The others were mostly special teamers.
General manager John Schneider’s success in both drafting and finding quality prospects after the draft has resulted in a very deep team. The Seahawks only had one offensive player who most would consider elite last season.
But they had no holes. Quality starters at virtually every spot and the best depth in the league. I argued recently that Seattle’s backup offensive line is better than the starters for at least a quarter of the league.
And the defensive depth might be even better.
So any UDFA hoping to make the roster this year faces a steep climb indeed. Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport recently identified Seattle edge Aidan Hubbard as the “most exciting” Seahawks’ UDFA this season. But his description might have had loyal fans questioning what Davenport meant by “exciting.”
After noting that Hubbard is neither fast nor strong nor twitchy, he praised him with words and phrases “disciplined,” “technically advanced,” and “functional maturity.”
Yep – I don’t think Davenport and I share an understanding of “exciting.”
But I understand his dilemma. John Schneider didn’t make very many moves to begin with and none of the players he brought in post-draft brought a lot of buzz. “Functional maturity,” with a sprinkling of JSN, Spoon and a few others, is what this team is all about.
If we’re looking at who stands the best chance of making the roster, Hubbard seemed like a decent bet – at least until Schneider signed Dante Fowler, Jr. last week. But I am going to mention a different player who might bring a bit more juice to the conversation.
There are two ways to look at the situation Uso Seumalo finds himself with Seattle. On the one hand, he is at or near the bottom of just under 2,000 pounds of nose tackles currently listed on the roster. That includes veteran Jarran Reed and 27-year-old Brandon Pili, both of whom played in the postseason for Seattle last year. It also includes 2026 seventh-round draft pick Deven Eastern.
With six nose tackles currently listed on the roster. that could spell trouble for someone like Seumalo.
However, the mere fact that Schneider has gone out of his way to bring in so many nose tackles also suggests Mike Macdonald is not entirely satisfied with the position. Remember, this isn’t even a starting position.
Seattle rarely employs a true nose tackle. Reed is smaller and quicker than the standard run-clogging giant who lines up over center and always draws a double team. Pili is bigger, but still doesn’t often line up over center.
So we’re talking about a specialized position that is only occasionally used and already has two proven veterans available for service. And still the Seahawks are carrying six nose tackles at present.
Ever since he arrived, I’ve wondered if Mike Macdonald would try to recreate the scheme he used in Baltimore with the Hawks. That appears to be the case at several vital spots. Nick Emmanwori seems to be playing the way Kyle Hamilton did with the Ravens. Ernest Jones IV is the new Roquan Smith and Leonard Williams is an upgrade over Nnamdi Madubuike.
But they have never really found players similar to Michael Pierce and Travis Jones, two enormous linemen who could police the middle of the line very effectively. I wonder if Macdonald isn’t still looking for that type of player.
If he is, Uso Seumalo might be just the man for the job. At 6’3”, 340 pounds, he looks the part. At Kansas State, he was a beast against the run. He was also able to generate push in the middle of the field on pass plays. Though Seumalo has never shown the speed or positional flexibility to move around the line, he can fill a niche if that's what Macdonald wants.
In order to make the team with a limited bag of tricks, Seumalo would have to clearly outperform either Pili or Eastern this summer, while also hoping Macdonald wants to move Reed around the line a bit more. Or perhaps Reed becomes a cap casualty if the younger players step up big.
Barring injury, Leonard Williams and Byron Murphy II will continue to anchor the very potent line, while Reed and Rylie Mills fill in as needed. Seattle could opt to keep two more linemen to play inside. If they do, there is a chance for Uso Seumalo.
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