Analysis: Final Seahawks 53-Man Roster Projection

Which running backs will survive roster cuts? How will the offensive line shake out? Who winds up starting at cornerback? Reporter Corbin Smith addresses all of these questions in his final Seahawks 53-man roster projection.

After wrapping up preseason play by posting a shutout in a 27-0 win over the Chargers at Lumen Field on Saturday, the Seahawks will need to trim their roster from 80 players to 53 before Tuesday's 1 PM PST deadline.

As always, Seattle's initial 53-man roster will undergo substantial changes over the next several days as players clear waivers and other players consequently hit the market. Trying to predict trades and signings from other teams during this process is a futile exercise, so for this final 53-man projection, I simply based picks off of who I believe will make the team off the current 80-man roster assuming other moves will come after the deadline passes.

Without further ado, with coach Pete Carroll and general John Schneider facing a plethora of difficult decisions at multiple positions in the next 48 hours, here is my final stab at predicting which players will make the Seahawks initial 53-man roster:

Quarterback (2): Russell Wilson, Geno Smith

Wilson will be back under center for a 10th season in Seattle, while Geno Smith finished the preseason on a strong note and provides a quality backup option with prior starting experience. No drama here.

Running Back (5): Chris Carson, Rashaad Penny, DeeJay Dallas, Alex Collins, Travis Homer

By the time Wednesday rolls around, the Seahawks may very well have parted ways with one of these running backs via trade to open up a roster spot for another position. But Nick Bellore being able to play linebacker in a pinch opens up room temporarily for the team to retain all five of their talented running backs without risking losing them on waivers. As things stand, with teams such as the Ravens needing running back help, Schneider could dangle Penny, Dallas, or Collins as possible trade chips for a draft choice.

As a former first-round pick, Seattle hoped to see more from Penny during the preseason more than a year removed from knee surgery. But the ever-so-versatile Dallas and Collins were simply more explosive and more productive with their opportunities as runners and receivers. All of them could be on the opening roster, but Homer's pass protection and special teams skills may warrant keeping him instead of one of those three. As for undrafted rookie Josh Johnson, he's one who the team will be holding their breath hoping he slips through waivers and comes back on the practice squad. Tough choices await.

Receiver (6): DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, Dee Eskridge, Freddie Swain, Penny Hart, Cody Thompson

The top of the depth chart has been set in stone for a while now. Metcalf and Lockett, coming off 1,000-yard seasons in 2020, will be complemented by the speedy Eskridge, who showcased his elite athletic tools during practice last week and made a couple splashy plays in Saturday's preseason win. Swain has also turned in a stellar camp and should see plenty of snaps as the No. 4 receiver and on special teams.

Behind them, plenty of question marks remained going into the preseason finale. But even after missing two weeks with an ankle sprain, Hart has Wilson's trust and his ability to occasionally play out of the backfield makes him an intriguing weapon in Shane Waldron's offense. Coupled with his special teams prowess, he maintains a spot on the 53. It's possible Seattle may only keep five receivers, but after two years on the practice squad, Thompson has earned the opportunity to be on the roster and gives the team another decent-sized target on the outside.

Tight End (3): Gerald Everett, Will Dissly, Colby Parkinson

Playing sparingly in the preseason, Everett and Dissly will open the season as Seattle's top two tight ends and should see plenty of time on the field together with Waldron expected to utilize numerous 12 personnel groupings. Everett will provide an athletic, seam-stretching presence in the passing game with formational versatility, while Dissly offers a reliable receiver at moving the chains and a stout run blocker.

The real wild card here is Parkinson, who opened camp red hot before re-injuring his foot earlier this month. According to Carroll, he's scheduled to begin running on the field next week, opening the door for him to potentially be ready to return to action early in the regular season. In that case, someone like Tyler Mabry could be promoted for a game or two from the practice squad - if he isn't claimed by another team - until the second-year tight end is available to play again.

Offensive Line (9): Duane Brown, Gabe Jackson, Damien Lewis, Kyle Fuller, Brandon Shell, Ethan Pocic, Phil Haynes, Stone Forsythe, Jamarco Jones

This may be the most chaotic positional group Carroll and Schneider have to figure out before Tuesday's deadline. On one hand, the starting lineup theoretically should be good to go assuming Brown returns from his "hold in" to play in Week 1 and Fuller has beaten out Pocic for the center job. To go with those two, the team has an outstanding guard pairing in Jackson and Lewis, while Shell was one of the more underrated tackles in the game last year and will be a serviceable starter again.

Behind that group of five, however, there will be some challenging choices to make. Set to earn $3 million guaranteed and able to play both guard spots, Pocic should be on the roster whether or not he starts at the pivot position. Finally healthy, Haynes has gotten extensive first-team reps throughout camp spelling Jackson and his inclusion on the team seems like a safe bet. Forsythe has flashed enough promise in the preseason he isn't going anywhere either. That leaves one or two spots open for Jones, Cedric Ogbuehi, Jordan Simmons, and undrafted rookie Jake Curhan. Ultimately, Jones' past starting experience at tackle and guard helps him edge out Ogbuehi and Simmons, while the team takes a gamble trying to sneak Curhan to the practice squad after a strong preseason.

Defensive End (6): Carlos Dunlap, Benson Mayowa, Rasheem Green, Alton Robinson, Kerry Hyder, L.J. Collier

If Aldon Smith would have been retained, this would have been a little trickier position group to assess. But the Seahawks should roll with Dunlap and either Collier or Hyder as the starters at the two defensive end spots, Mayowa will be a key rotational rusher as evidenced by the fact the team rested him all preseason, and both Robinson and Green had impressive preseasons and offer positional versatility in their own right. None of those six players should meet the chopping block before Tuesday, giving the team great depth and a wide array of skill sets off the edge.

Defensive Tackle (3): Poona Ford, Al Woods, Bryan Mone

When training camp opened, Robert Nkemdiche seemed poised to snag a roster spot and resurrect his NFL career in Seattle. But a groin injury kept him out of the first two preseason games and then another injury prevented him from seeing the field in the finale. Without an NFL game snap since 2019, he simply hasn't done enough to justify winning a roster spot at this stage. It's possible the team could bring him back on the practice squad if he clears waivers with hopes he can get healthy and contribute later.

Aside from Nkemdiche's status, there really aren't any other question marks at defensive tackle. After signing a new two-year deal, Ford could be poised for a breakthrough fourth season with more snaps at the 3-tech spot helping offset Jarran Reed's departure, while Woods and Mone give the Seahawks two massive space-plugging nose tackles with surprising agility for their size. Collier, Green, and Hyder can all reduce inside on passing downs and should see action behind Ford, while it's possible veteran Geno Atkins could enter the mix at some point after working out for the team last week.

Linebacker (6): Bobby Wagner, Jordyn Brooks, Darrell Taylor, Cody Barton, Nick Bellore, Jon Rhattigan

For those hoping K.J. Wright would eventually return, now that the preseason is over, the odds of that happening seem slim as ever. But the good news is that the Seahawks have a talented starting trio led by a perennial All-Pro in Wagner, Brooks, and Taylor, with the latter two players offering outstanding athletic traits and high ceilings. There may be growing pains, particularly for Taylor, but this group overall should be much faster than in recent seasons.

After losing Ben Burr-Kirven to a torn ACL in the second preseason game, Barton will be the primary off-ball backup to Wagner and Brooks after a fantastic preseason. There's even a chance he could spell Brooks or Taylor occasionally on defense, as he's earned some snaps. Bellore will likely stick at linebacker as an insurance option after showing he's still got it in the preseason and despite playing in only one preseason game due to injury, Rhattigan showed his special teams value on Saturday night and the team thinks highly of the undrafted rookie out of Army.

Cornerback (5): D.J. Reed, Ahkello Witherspoon, Sidney Jones, Tre Brown, Damarious Randall

Much to the chagrin of Seahawks fans, and likely Carroll and his staff as well, the preseason ended with more questions than answers at cornerback. Though he didn't play at all in the preseason, Reed looked great early in camp before straining his groin and the fact the team held him out on Saturday suggests he will retain his starting job on the right side to open the season. Behind him, the arrival of Jones from the Jaguars via trade will likely mean the end of Flowers time in the Pacific Northwest, opening up a bit of cap space with his departure.

As for the left side, Witherspoon may have won the job by default with nobody else rising up to take it from him. The fifth-year defender had a mostly underwhelming preseason, but did consistently play well on the practice field during camp and dealt with some bad luck on Saturday night. Behind him, Brown's momentum was stalled by a sore knee that caused him to miss last week and Randall sitting out a week with his own groin injury prevented him from winning the job. The team will try to sneak Gavin Heslop back on the practice squad and he could resurface later in the season if the group struggles or injuries strike.

Safety (5): Jamal Adams, Quandre Diggs, Marquise Blair, Ugo Amadi, Ryan Neal

Though both players have missed time "making statements" wanting new contracts, Adams and Diggs will be in the lineup for the season opener, giving Seattle one of the premier safety duos in the league. Depth looks pretty good behind them as well, with Blair capable of playing both safety spots in a pinch and Amadi offering ample experience as a free safety. Nursing an oblique injury, it's possible Neal could start the year on injured reserve, which might open the door for undrafted rookie Aashari Crosswell to sneak onto the team. But most likely, he's a player the Seahawks try to stash on the practice squad for the future.

Specialist (3): Jason Myers, Michael Dickson, Tyler Ott

Like quarterback, no drama to see here. Myers, Dickson, and Ott remain one of the best specialist trifectas in the NFL and didn't have competition for their positions anyway.