The Seattle Seahawks currently have a bloated roster. The team has to trim around 90 players down to 53 on August 26. This means only a bit more than half the players who are currently on Seattle's team will stay there. Everyone else will have to go look for a job.
Without a doubt, there will be some tough decisions to make for general manager John Schneider and head coach Mike Macdonald. Besides injury designations, like the one edge rusher Uchenna Nwosu might receive while he works his way back from offseason knee surgery, some veterans will be cut.
One of those is likely to be safety Jerrick Reed II. When healthy, Reed is a fantastic player on special teams. The issue is that he has issues staying healthy. He appeared in 10 games as a rookie in 2023, but just five last year. He is seemingly healthy now, but the Seahawks have added to his position.
Jerrick Reed II is fighting an uphill battle to make the Seattle Seahawks 2025 roster
The team chose Nick Emmanwori early in the second round, and he is obviously going to make the team and likely play an important part in the defense. He is big, fast, and versatile. While he still needs to learn how to cover in the NFL, Macdonald is probably going to move him around in alignments, as he can help in run defense and be involved in blitz packages.
Even with Emmanwori, Coby Bryant and Julian Love are likely going to be the starters at safety. Assuming the team keeps only four at the position, that leaves only one spot. Reed's injury history is going to hurt him, but more so will the play of free agent signee D'Anthony Bell.
Bell has been a standout during each phase of the Seahawks' offseason program. After a splendid minicamp, he has performed like a starter in training camp so far. He had the first interception of quarterback Sam Darnold and provided tight coverage throughout.
Bell has far exceeded expectations so far, and he also has some experience on special teams. With the Seahawks likely keeping three quarterbacks and a fullback on the roster, that will suppress the number of spots other positions can have. Often in the last decade, Seattle has chosen to keep only four safeties, and Bell's level is making the case for that in 2025.
Of course, none of that helps Jerrick Reed II much. He might have an issue making the active roster in 2025 anyway due to his injury history, but Bell is pushing him clear off the team. The best hope for Reed is that he hangs onto a Seahawks practice squad spot.