Stock Watch: Which Seattle Seahawks are Trending Up, Down After Preseason Week 2?

Through two preseason games, some Seahawks players proved their worth with the team while others hurt their chances to make the 53-man roster.

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Howell (6) bolts between Tennessee Titans linebacker Caleb Murphy (42) and linebacker Rashad Weaver (99) during the first quarter at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Saturday, Aug. 17, 2024. / Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK

Following a dominant Week 1 victory, the Seattle Seahawks dropped to 1-1 in the preseason after falling to the Tennessee Titans, 16-15, at Nissan Stadium on Saturday.

It’s preseason, so the result doesn’t matter much. But the first half was much better for the Seahawks offense and defense than the second half was. That’s telling for the depth of Seattle’s units.

Here are three players whose stock is rising after Week 2 of the preseason, and three players whose stock is falling.

Three Up

QB Sam Howell

Sam Howell seemed anxious to begin the game but finished looking as confident as we’ve seen him in this new offensive scheme. Howell finished 11-for-14 for 153 yards and a touchdown, displaying perfect touch on a 23-yard score to Easop Winston Jr. in the first quarter. As the game went on, Howell only continued to get better.

On the first throw of Seattle’s next drive, Howell rifled another one between two Titans defenders to wide receiver Cody White for a 33-yard completion — the longest offensive play of the day for the Seahawks. The offensive line in front of Howell was fine, but parts of the front broke down and he could navigate it. He finished with two rushes for 11 yards as a result, evading the broken plays. Howell’s pocket presence, overall, looked more like his better days with the Washington Commanders.

DT Myles Adams

Playing for most of the first half, Myles Adams held it down in the middle of Seattle’s defensive line. He finished with three total tackles, but that’s not representative of his overall impact on the game. Adams’ interior pressure freed up edge rushers Derick Hall, Darrell Taylor, Boye Mafe and others, pushing the pocket around Malik Willis and forcing him to make quick decisions in the pocket.

Adams is the perfect depth interior lineman for Seattle. With Leonard Williams, Jarran Reed, Byron Murphy and Johnathan Hankins already anchoring that unit, Adams and Mike Morris will be the rotational players that could be difference-makers for the Seahawks during the season. At 6-2, 290 pounds, Adams presents the size inside the Seahawks want as well.

WR Easop Winston Jr.

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Easop Winston Jr. (13) pulls in a touchdown past Tennessee Titans cornerback Tre Avery (23) during the first quarter at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Saturday, Aug. 17, 2024. / Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK

With his play in this second preseason game, Easop Winston Jr. is making the competition at Seattle’s sixth wide receiver spot extremely close. It’s clearly between Winston and Dareke Young, and the latter has led the group through training camp and the first few weeks of the preseason. Winston, a fifth-year pro out of Washington State, displayed his veteran tendencies on the 23-yard score from Howell by showing his hands late, securing the touchdown against Titans cornerback Tre Avery. Winston’s release on the fade route was also impressive against Avery, burning the corner to make Howell’s decision to throw into a one-on-one situation easy.

Winston finished with three catches for 47 yards and a score, leading the Seahawks in receiving in every area. He also saw the most targets of any Seattle player with four. Even if he is relinquished to the practice squad, Winston would be a quality player to be elevated to the active roster in a pinch should the Seahawks need him.

Three down

CB DJ James

Despite being a sixth-round pick by the Seahawks, DJ James just looks out of place with Seattle. He’s been borderline lost in his two preseason appearances, and he allowed the Titans’ lone touchdown in off-coverage against Nick Westbrook-Ikhine on a 15-yard touchdown pass from Mason Rudolph with 38 seconds left in the second quarter.

James was also hit with two defensive penalties on Tennessee’s second drive of the second half, first on a holding call and then on a facemask just two plays later. That allowed the Titans to get back into the game and eventually convert on a field goal to make it 12-10. He hasn’t been good in coverage and hasn’t shown enough fundamentally to make the Seahawks’ 53-man roster to this point.

T Stone Forsythe

At this point, Stone Forsythe’s standing with the Seattle coaching staff is a mystery. He hasn’t been good in either preseason appearance after making eight starts last season and has continued to just look overpowered by edge rushers on a down-to-down basis. Forsythe was tripped by running back Kenny McIntosh on a sack-fumble by Sam Howell — recovered by Forsythe himself — given up in the first quarter, but he was already beaten off that block which is why he was dropping so far back into protection.

Seattle’s depth at left tackle is a concern with Forsythe’s struggles, even with veteran George Fant able to play both sides of the line. The margin for error is getting slimmer and slimmer for Forsythe heading into the third preseason game, and he could be cut if he doesn’t show a significant improvement in the final contest.

QB PJ Walker

Aug 17, 2024; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback PJ Walker (15) signals a change of his team at the win in the fourth quarter of the game against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium. / Casey Gower-USA TODAY Sports

Taking over the offense in the second half, PJ Walker had similar weapons to Howell but looked far less capable of operating the Seahawks offense. He did, however, have an even less effective offensive line in front of him. Regardless, even when Walker had time to throw, he was early on some timing routes, and that snowballed into a lack of progression from the offense. The offense looked much more sluggish with Walker at the controls.

Walker finished 4-for-8 for 38 yards in the game and also allowed a sack. The offense gained just 38 total yards in the second half with Walker leading the unit, as opposed to the 231 yards the offense gained with Howell under center.