The Seattle Seahawks begin their 2026 preseason at Lumen Field against the Dallas Cowboys on Saturday, August 15. Who wins or loses the game is not ultimately important. Outcomes won't matter until the real games begin, which for Seattle is on Wednesday, September 9.
What 12s will want to watch preseason games for is how certain roster battles play out. Head coach Mike Macdonald and general manager John Schneider will certainly make roster decisions based on what happens in training camp, too, but preseason contests could help decide a couple of tough decisions.
Against Dallas, most, if not all, of the Seahawks' starters won't play. This leaves more time for the backups to showcase their skills. Below are three roster fights to keep an eye on.
Seattle Seahawks RB1 battle
12s know that Zach Charbonnet isn't going to play, of course, as he is still recovering from a knee injury he suffered in the playoffs last season. If he were healthy, he would almost certainly be the starter.
First-round draft pick Jadarian Price might not play on Saturday, as he has been dealing with upper leg soreness and has missed several training camp practices. The lack of reps might cause him to be a backup in Week 1, though he still has time to make up ground.
The battle for who will start for Seattle when they begin the season against the New England Patriots could come down to George Holani and Emanuel Wilson. Whoever is better in pass protection and catches passes out of the backfield more fluidly in the preseason could be RB1 for the first part of the regular season.
Seattle Seahawks cornerback battle
Josh Jobe is going to be one of the team's starters to begin the run of real games, and Devon Witherspoon will likely see more reps on the outside, but their immediate backups are unknown.
Nehemiah Pritchett is entering his third year with the team but hasn't been consistently good yet. Mike Macdonald trusting him to see a massive increase in reps seems unlikely unless Pritchett can play brilliantly in the preseason.
Julian Neal was a third-round choice, but he has missed time with a leg injury in training camp. He could miss the Cowboys game, too. He is likely only losing ground on the depth chart to veterans like Nick Igbinoghene. The latter has had a tremendous camp so far, and if that carries into the preseason, even against backups, he could earn his roster spot.
Seattle Seahawks safety battle
Julian Love and Ty Okada are most likely the starters to begin the season. Love definitely will be, while Okada still needs to prove that he can be a full-time starter to begin the season for the first time in his career.
The backups are a promising group, but possibly with at least one player who won't make the roster. All have had good moments in camp, but under the bright lights, they need to be standouts.
One is rookie Bud Clark, who might also see time in the slot. Veteran AJ Finley and Rodney Thomas II will probably need to make an impact on special teams to make the Seattle Seahawks' 53-man roster. Nick Emmanwori is listed on the depth chart as a nickelback, but he was drafted as a safety and can play deep. That means Finley and Thomas need to play well against Dallas in preseason Week 1.
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