Seahawks 90-Man Roster Rundown: Dakoda Shepley

Intrigued by his skill set, Seattle claimed Shepley off waivers last August with hopes he could play his way into snaps at center down the road. Facing some career urgency, this may be his best chance to stick on an NFL roster battling for a reserve role.

With the calendar flipping to June and offseason programs wrapping up across the country, NFL training camps will begin around the NFL in less than two months time. To celebrate the new incoming season, the All Seahawks staff will be breaking down the Seahawks 90-man roster over the next several weeks, exploring best and worst case scenarios and what to expect from each player entering the 2022 campaign.

Dakoda Shepley, Center

Height/Weight: 6-foot-5, 290 pounds

2021 Stats: N/A

Heralding from the University of British Columbia, Shepley began his NFL journey with the Jets in 2018, eventually landing with the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the CFL. He started 14 games as a rookie, earning top rookie honors for the franchise before choosing to opt out of his contract during the COVID-19 pandemic. Last August, he participated in training camp with the 49ers before being released during final roster cuts and the Seahawks claimed him off waivers. While he didn't play any offensive snaps, he did dress for eight games and logged 37 snaps on special teams. Back for his first full season, he will vie for the backup center job against Kyle Fuller.

Best Case Scenario: Outperforming Fuller in all facets during camp and the preseason, Shepley secures a roster spot as the primary backup for Austin Blythe while also providing emergency depth at both guard positions.

Worst Case Scenario: Outclassed against NFL competition and unable to improve enough to surpass Fuller, the Seahawks release him at the end of the preseason and don't re-sign him to the practice squad, instead choosing to move forward with a younger developmental center.

What to Expect in 2022: Powerful at the point of attack, Shepley's physicality fit well with Seattle's offense with Mike Solari serving as the offensive line coach and dialing up more gap run concepts. While a decent athlete for the position, however, his lateral movement skills may not be on par with what offensive coordinator Shane Waldron and line coach Andy Dickerson will be looking for at the pivot position in a more zone-centric system. If he can prove himself versatile during camp and the preseason and perform well on all types of runs while holding up in pass protection, he will give himself a fighting chance to usurp Fuller as the backup behind Blythe. If he can't, however, this could be the end of the line for him as an NFL player.

Previous Seahawks 90-Man Roster Profiles

Kevin Kassis | Cade Brewer | Liam Ryan | Deontez Alexander | Elijah Jones | Josh Turner | Scott Nelson | Joshua Onujiogu | Jarrod Hewitt | Darwin Thompson | Matt Gotel | Lakiem Williams | Tanner Muse | Greg Eiland | Aaron Fuller | Shamarious Gilmore | Cade Johnson