Breaking down the Seahawks 53 Man roster

The Seahawks finalized their 53-man roster, and there were very few surprises. The roster is bound to change somewhat between now and the start of the season  due to pending injuries

QUARTERBACKS ( 3)

Sam Darnold,  Drew Lock, Jalen Milroe

LOGIC

There was never going to be a surprise regarding the quarterback room once the team acquired Darnold, Lock and drafted Milroe. Darnold is the starter,  Lock is the backup, and Milroe is the promising rookie with enough leg skills to get him on the field to keep defenses honest in short-yardage situations.

OFFENSIVE LINE MEN  ( 9)

 Centers  Jalen Sundell, Olu Oluwamati, Guards  Gery Zabel,  Bryace Cabledue,  Josh Jones, Mason Richman, Anthony Bradford, Tackles  Abe Lucas, Charles Cross (TBD)

LOGIC

I listed Cross as to be turned because he was not out there during our ten-minute allocated practice window. Jones and Richman are listed at  guards and tackles.  Earlier in the day, the team traded Mike Jerrell to the  Falcons for  a 2027 conditional seventh-round pick. For the team to make that move it means offensive line coach John Benton is happy with his core players.

TIGHT ENDS ( 4)

 AJ  Barner, Elija Orroyo  Nick  Kallerup and Eric Shubert

 LOGIC

Ever since the team waived Noah Fan, midsummer, Barner became the starter. Second pick Orroyo continued to excel, which affirmed why the  team drafted him. A  big body with hands, speed and  the ability to block.  Kallerup is the biggest surprise in the group.  He was an undrafted free agent and played his way onto the roster. While a surprise, I can see why the Seahawks would keep Shubert for experience.

RUNNING BACKS ( 3) FULL BACKS ( 2)

Ken Walker III,  Zach Charbonnet, George Holani. FB Brady Russell, Robbie Ouzts

LOGIC

The Kenny McIntosh injury opened the door for  Holani, who stepped into the opening and never looked back.  His 61 yards on seven carries against the Raiders raised eyebrows, and his 49 yards on five carries against the Chiefs cemented his roster spot. Holani sat out the Green Bay game.

INCLUDED FULLBACKS

Klint Kubiak’s wide zone running attack has a place for a fullback as the lead blocker. Having a lead blocker gives the running back more options. Russell saw most of the time on special teams duty and will play that same role as fullback. The 6-2 247 247-pound Ouzts played both H back and tight end at  Alabama. In addition to  his size Ouzts has strength and speed.

WIDE RECEIVERS  ( 6)

Cooper Kupp, Jaxson Smith-Njigba, Tory Horton, Cody White, Darek Young,  Jake Bobo

LOGIC

The mild surprise here is not the what but how . The team waived  Marquez Valdez-Scantling, which was a surprise after he signed a $4 4million contract, with $3 3million guranted in the offseason.  Valdez-Scantling did not have the best training camp and preseason. The prevailing thought was that the team would trade.

With no trade materializing, the team released him and ate the $3 3million. Horton’s emergence in training camp and performances in the first two preseason games put him in the battle for  the third receiver behind Kupp and Smith-Njigba. Bobo sustained a concussion in the  Green Bay game but should be okay, according to head coach Mike MacDonald.

DEFENSE

The defensive side of  the ball  is  like the offense . There are some shoe ins and some question marks due to health.

CORNERBACKS (5)

Devon Witherspoon, Shaquill Griffin, Riq Woolen,  Nehemiah Pritchard, Josh Jobe

LOGIC

Shaq  Griffin is the feel-good story  of the summer here. Former player returns to help with the continued defensive transformation . Pritchard had one start last year and played   in ten games. Jobe  started six games last year and showed he can step in when needed.

SAFETIES ( 5)

Nick Emmanwori, Coby Bryant,  Julian Love, D’Anthony Bell, Ty Okada.

LOGIC

The big story here is Emmanwori. The team had high hopes for him; they drafted him up to pick him, and he continued ascending in his understanding of  the defense scheme when playing safety, edge rusher, and  linebacker in certain blitz packages. Love is the leader of the  defense and safeties room.  

DEFENSIVE END (3)

De Marcus  Lawrence, Mike Morris,  Leonard Williams.

LOGIC

 Lawrence and Williams are elite players.  Morris has been injured and I doubt he will be on the roster when the season starts.

DEFENSIVE TACKLES ( 2)

Jarran Reed, Byron Murphy.

The number of players seems low to me. The quality of  Reed and Murphy is unquestionable.   Incremental improvement by Murphy could help in the defense ascending to top ten status.

LINEBACKERS ( 8)

Uchenna Nwosu, Ernest Jones IV, Drake Thomas, Tyrice Knight,  Jared Ivey,  Boye Mafe,  Connor  O’Toole , Derick Hall.

LOGIC
If there were not enough defensive tackles, I would say there are too many linebackers in this roster projection. If the defense is going to climb a few steps up in the rankings ladder, Hall, Mafe, and Knight must improve from last year. A full season from Nwosu would be a big help.  Ivey is the big surprise, but he should have enough upside  for the team to keep him.

SPECIAL TEAMS SPECIALIST (3)

Punter Michael Dickson,  Kicker Jason Myers, LS Chris Stoll.

LOGIC

This one is easy: if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.  Dickson is the best punter in the league and  Myers is in the top ten.

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