Analysis: 10 Seahawks Who Should Receive Extended Auditions to Close Out Regular Season

With the postseason now out of reach, Seattle will transition towards planning for 2022 with two games left to play. Which players should receive extensive playing time to wrap up the season for evaluation purposes?

Officially eliminated from playoff contention and guaranteed to finish in last place in the NFC West for the first time, the Seahawks will enter the final two games of the regular season with little to play for from a standings perspective.

But like the rest of the teams in the NFL who won't be playing beyond Week 18, Seattle must now shift its focus towards an uncertain future. Everyone on the coaching staff and roster will be playing for a spot on next year's team and other teams will certainly be keeping tabs, as players who check out late in the season will have a much tougher time latching on elsewhere.

With player and personnel evaluation for the future now the top priority for general manager John Schneider and coach Pete Carroll, the Seahawks may be inclined to give snaps to some younger players who may not have gotten many opportunities to impress in the first 15 games. In other words, the next few weeks could - and in theory should - play out like glorified preseason games in some regards.

Which players should Seattle provide with an extended audition for the final two regular season games against Detroit and Arizona? Check out the gallery below:

Josh Johnson, Running Back

An undrafted rookie out of Louisiana Monroe, Johnson impressed during the preseason as a runner, receiver, and pass protector, but the Seahawks had too much depth at running back for him to make the final roster and he's been stashed on the practice squad all season. He has been elevated for a pair of games in the past month, but has been limited to just 28 special teams snaps in those games. With Rashaad Penny and Alex Collins heading towards free agency and Chris Carson coming off neck surgery, Seattle would be wise to see what the powerful runner can do with a handful of reps out of the backfield in the final two games and see if he could be a potential factor in the future as a rotational back.

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Dee Eskridge, Receiver

By all accounts, Eskridge has endured a disappointing rookie campaign marred by injuries. He missed time in camp with a toe issue, then suffered a severe concussion in the season opener that wound up costing him seven games before he finally could return to play. Slowly but surely, he's seen an uptick in playing time as the year has progressed, but he only played 36 percent of Seattle's snaps in Sunday's loss to Chicago and still has just nine catches for 57 yards and a touchdown in eight games. In the final two games, even with the presence of DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett, the former Western Michigan standout needs reps to bolster his development and he should play at least 50 percent of the offensive snaps, if not more. Hopefully with more playing time, offensive coordinator Shane Waldron can find more ways to get the dynamic athlete consistently involved aside from running jet sweeps.

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Colby Parkinson, Tight End

Before re-breaking his foot in August, Parkinson emerged as one of Seattle's biggest standouts in the first two weeks of training camp, using his size and athletic ability to rip off big plays in the passing game each practice during scrimmage sessions. Unfortunately, since returning from injured reserve in Week 4, he's been an afterthought for Wilson and Waldron, playing more than 10 snaps in just three games and being targeted a grand total of four times with two receptions for seven yards. Per TruMedia, he has only ran 46 routes in 12 games, or under four routes per game, while logging 69 run blocking snaps. With Gerald Everett and Will Dissly slated to be free agents, Waldron needs to let the converted receiver do what he does best and see if he can get him involved in some capacity in the aerial attack over the final two weeks, particularly in the red zone where his size could be tremendously beneficial.

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Stone Forsythe, Tackle

Arriving as a sixth-round pick with two-time All-Pro Duane Brown in front of him on the depth chart, Forsythe wasn't expected to see the field much, if at all, during his rookie season. Keeping that in mind, it shouldn't come as a surprise at all with Brown starting all 15 games to this point that he has only dressed for eight games and played a grand total of 14 offensive snaps. But after he checked in at right tackle in a Week 13 win over the 49ers, the towering 6-foot-8 tackle wasn't intimidated blocking star pass rusher Nick Bosa and made a quality first impression albeit in a limited sample size. The Seahawks won't bench Brown for the last two games, but with the veteran set to hit free agency in March and no guarantee he will return, giving the rookie a few series in each of the next two games would be a smart choice to see where he may fit into future plans in the trenches.

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Jake Curhan, Tackle

Out of Seattle's 2021 rookie class, no player has done more with his opportunities than Curhan, an undrafted rookie out of California. Though his natural position is right tackle, he logged 60 snaps at left guard against the 49ers in Week 13, performing admirably under challenging circumstances. He's started each of the past three games in place of impending free agent Brandon Shell, who has been battling a shoulder injury and spent time on the reserve/COVID-19 list. In those games, he's dominated as a run blocker and made steady improvements in pass protection, earning his highest pass blocking grade as a starter from Pro Football Focus against the Bears (70.7) last Sunday. While Forsythe won't supplant Brown as a starter for the last two games, even with Shell being activated this week and potentially available, Curhan should stay in the lineup for Seattle's final two games to continue showcasing himself as a potential long-term solution at the position.

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Dakoda Shepley, Center

Claimed off waivers from the 49ers shortly before the start of the regular season, Shepley has dressed for seven games and played a grand total of 31 snaps on special teams. He's never played a regular season offensive snap in the league. With Ethan Pocic once again approaching free agency and Kyle Fuller scheduled to be a restricted free agent, the Seahawks still have short and long-term concerns at the pivot position. Shepley, a former CFL standout, may not be the answer to that problem, but the team already knows Pocic and Fuller aren't the solution. At minimum, they should see if Shepley has enough upside to warrant bringing back next year to compete for a starting job. Like Forsythe, he could rotated in a for a few series in the final two games with Pocic to see how he performs and where he may or may not fit into plans beyond this year.

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Myles Adams, Defensive Tackle

After biding his time on the practice squad for the better part of two seasons, Bryan Mone's absence on the COVID-19 list opened the door for Adams to see his first regular season action over the past two weeks. While the 290-pound defender found himself physically overwhelmed at times by stronger blockers in the run game, for the most part, the ex-Rice standout held his own on 33 defensive snaps, recording four tackles and a quarterback hit. On Sunday, he teamed up with linebacker Jordyn Brooks to sniff out a running back screen for no gain. Veteran Al Woods will be a free agent in March and the Seahawks could use another quality rotational defensive tackle for the future. Even if Mone is available, Adams should get a crack at some snaps in the last two games to solidify his standing as a possible contributor in 2022.

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L.J. Collier, Defensive End

Calling Collier's junior season in the Pacific Northwest a disappointment would be a tremendous understatement. After starting all 16 games a year ago and showing significant progress, the 2019 first-round pick mystifyingly fell of the map this year with the Seahawks choosing to deactivate him as a healthy scratch for six of their first eight games. Since Week 12, he's played in each of Seattle's five games, though his workload has remained relatively small with only one game playing more than 40 percent of defensive snaps. There are a couple of reasons why he should play more in the final two games. For one, he's still a relatively young player and he's produced 13 pressures on just 105 pass rush attempts, suggesting he could still be a viable rotational interior rusher. But even if he isn't part of Seattle's blueprint for bouncing back next year, playing him extensive snaps could help restore some value as a trade chip in the offseason.

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Alton Robinson, Defensive End

Coming off a surprisingly good rookie season in which he produced 4.0 sacks in limited action, the Seahawks expected Robinson to be a bigger part of their pass rushing rotation in 2021. But after a strong start, he's been relatively quiet while still seeing less than 30 percent of Seattle's defensive snaps in the majority of games. He hasn't produced a sack since a Week 3 loss to the Titans and has two quarterback hits in the past 13 games. On the flip side, however, he has made some big plays against the run recently, including registering two tackles for loss on Sunday against the Bears. With the team set to retool their pass rush in the offseason after the group as a whole didn't meet expectations this year, Robinson should play the bulk of the Seahawks' snaps in the last two weeks to see where he fits into the rotation moving forward.

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John Reid, Cornerback

Due to injuries and COVID, the Seahawks have been playing musical chairs at the cornerback position for most of the season and the slot role hasn't been exempt, as Marquise Blair went down with a fractured kneecap and Ugo Amadi once again replaced him. Unfortunately, Amadi has struggled in all phases, missing more than 10 percent of his tackle attempts, allowing a 106.7 passer rating against in coverage, and drawing several killer penalties at inopportune times. He doesn't look to be the answer there and with Blair coming off his second major knee injury in as many years, it would behoove Seattle to see what it has in Reid, who joined the team via trade from Houston in August. The ex-Penn State standout allowed a touchdown in a spot start on Sunday, but he also had two pass breakups in coverage and plays the aggressive brand of football Pete Carroll prefers. Considering his size and skill set, he could be a potential upgrade in the slot and the team should give him a shot the last two games.

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