Seahawks 53-Man Roster Projection: Jake Bobo Headlines UDFAs

Continuing to find gems in the undrafted ranks, the Seattle Seahawks have several rookies making a serious run at a roster spot, lead by crafty receiver Jake Bobo.

In the aftermath of an exciting 24-13 comeback win over the Minnesota Vikings, Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll couldn't have been more pleased by the resiliency and fight displayed by his team in Thursday's preseason opener.

"Tonight was nothing but fun. We had a great time," Carroll told reporters after the game. "It was hard getting started. You could tell. This was the first time we tackled anybody. That's why we use the preseason game. We needed the first quarter to shake the cobwebs. The defense came back in the second quarter and played great all night long. Those young kids did a beautiful job of playing the scheme and making the plays we needed to make."

Bouncing back from an early 10-point deficit, Seattle received contributions from numerous young players to outscore Minnesota 24-3 in the final three quarters, including stellar performances from multiple undrafted rookies. Did any of those players improve their odds of making the 53-man roster?

With two preseason contests left to play, here's my latest stab at projecting Seattle's initial 53-man roster, headlined by two undrafted rookies crashing the party.

Quarterback

Starter: Geno Smith

Reserve: Drew Lock

Undrafted rookie Holton Ahlers flashed in Seattle's mock scrimmage as a passer and a runner, but while the dual-threat lefty did throw a touchdown in Thursday's win over Minnesota and had a 22-yard run on a quarterback draw, he isn't a threat to take Lock's job as Smith's backup at this point. The team looks to be in a good spot at the most important position in the sport with two experienced veterans under center and a developmental signal caller to stash on the practice squad.

Running Back

Starter: Ken Walker III

Reserves: Zach Charbonnet, DeeJay Dallas, Kenny McIntosh, Nick Bellore

Injuries have been a significant issue already for the Seahawks in the backfield with Walker, Charbonnet, and McIntosh all missing time in training camp. With that said, Charbonnet had a couple impressive runs in his debut on Thursday night and Walker and McIntosh should be ready to go for the regular season, so this position group seems set in stone. If there's a wild card to keep an eye on, depending on Walker and McIntosh's respective recoveries, Bryant Koback had a strong debut with the team against the Vikings and could be a roster possibility if injuries open a spot up for him.

Receiver

Starters: DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, Jaxon Smith-Njigba

Reserves: Jake Bobo, Cody Thompson

Injured Reserve/Suspended: Dareke Young, Dee Eskridge

Regularly creating separation and getting open, Bobo has emerged as a favorite target for Drew Lock with the second-team offense / © Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports

At the top of the depth chart, Smith-Njigba did little to squash the hype he has generated in training camp with a stellar preseason opener, and the smooth route runner looks poised to start alongside Metcalf and Lockett in Week 1. But the situation has become shaky behind those three over the past week, as Eskridge received a six-game suspension from the NFL and tweaked his knee in Thursday's win, Young continues to deal with a hip/groin injury that could keep him an extended period, and Cade Johnson could be out a while after suffering a concussion.

Under the assumption at least two of those players will not be available for the start of the season, Bobo has continued to turn heads and appears to have an inside track for a roster spot after grabbing three catches for 55 yards and a touchdown against Minnesota. Held out of the preseason opener, Thompson has come on strong as of late and could now sneak onto the roster in Eskridge and Young's absence, though undrafted rookie Matt Landers may be closing the gap in the rearview mirror.

Tight End

Starter: Will Dissly

Reserves: Noah Fant, Colby Parkinson

Fant and Dissly have both missed time in training camp and did not play in the preseason opener, while Parkinson caught one pass for 10 yards. But the Seahawks shouldn't have to worry about those three players getting many reps in the preseason anyway and unless Tyler Mabry sneaks onto the roster due to his special teams contributions, the same cast of characters should be back from a year ago with no drama at this position.

Offensive Line

Starters: Charles Cross, Damien Lewis, Evan Brown, Phil Haynes, Abraham Lucas

Reserves: Olu Oluwatimi, Stone Forsythe, Anthony Bradford, Jake Curhan

In the trenches, Seattle has four starting spots locked up, as Haynes clearly will be the starter at right guard to open the season with Lewis holding down the other guard spot and Cross and Lucas ready to take a big step in their second seasons at the tackle spots. But the pivot position remains up for grabs with Brown and Oluwatimi engaged in a fun competition, as both players performed well in Thursday's win and didn't allow any pressures in pass protection.

With Brown and Oluwatimi both set to be on the roster regardless of who wins the starting job, there shouldn't be much debate about backups across the board. Forsythe and Curhan bring a bit of game experience as reserves behind Cross and Lucas and while Bradford did struggle a bit in pass protection in his debut, his run blocking and overall upside should lock up his spot as the swing guard behind Lewis and Haynes.

EDGE/Outside Linebacker

Starters: Uchenna Nwosu, Boye Mafe

Reserves: Darrell Taylor, Derick Hall, Tyreke Smith

Continuing his strong start to his sophomore season, Mafe generated two pressures and a tackle for loss against the Vikings

In regards to making the roster, the Seahawks should have most of their questions already answered at outside linebacker with Nwosu, Mafe, Taylor, and Hall all locks to be on the field in Week 1. For now, the only real intrigue may be a developing battle between Smith, a former fifth-round pick out of Ohio State, and ex-USFL standout Levi Bell, who dominated in the preseason opener with five pressures, a sack, and two quarterback hits.

Momentum may be trending in Bell's favor, but the undrafted rookie out of Louisiana Tech still has an uphill climb to overtake Smith, who is held in high regard by the coaching staff. Still, with two exhibition games left to play, that is a competition worth keeping an eye on. As for the starting lineup, once Taylor returns from a strained shoulder, it will interesting to see if Seattle rolls with him or Mafe opposite of Nwosu.

Defensive End

Starters: Dre'Mont Jones, Mario Edwards

Reserves: Myles Adams, Mike Morris, Jacob Sykes

Neither Jones nor Edwards played a down on Thursday night, providing a prime opportunity for younger defensive ends on the roster to impress. Morris had a strong debut, producing a pair of quarterback hits to force third down incompletions, while Adams had several quality rushes and held up well against the run game. Both of those players should be locks to make the Week 1 roster.

In the surprise department, seemingly out of nowhere, Sykes has quickly put his name on the radar as a dark horse to sneak onto the roster. Formerly starring at Harvard and UCLA in college, the athletic 277-pound defender stood out as one of Seattle's biggest bright spots on Thursday night, producing four pressures and a quarterback hit while displaying great burst and quickness as an interior rusher.

Nose Tackle

Starter: Jarran Reed

Reserve: Cameron Young

PUP List: Bryan Mone, Austin Faoliu

While it's possible Faoliu could be activated in the near future, Mone still looks to be a ways off from returning from a torn ACL and it would be a surprise if he doesn't begin the year on the PUP list. If both of those players remain out for the start of the season, depth remains paper thin at the nose tackle spot with Reed as the starter and Young, a fourth-round pick out of Mississippi State, as his primary backup. Adams could also be in the mix for some snaps at nose, but questions remain at this spot with less than a month until the season opener.

Inside Linebacker

Starters: Bobby Wagner, Jordyn Brooks

Reserves: Devin Bush, Jon Rhattigan

Injured Reserve: Vi Jones

After a strong start to his second training camp with the Seahawks, Jones suffered what Carroll called a "legit" ankle sprain, which could make him a candidate to put on injured reserve to open the season. Assuming he isn't ready to play in the next two preseason games, Rhattigan has a prime opportunity to latch onto the final linebacker spot, especially given his special teams talents.

Away from that one spot that likely will go to Jones or Rhattigan, Brooks has a great chance to be activated from the PUP in the next few weeks and potentially be ready for Week 1 to start alongside Wagner. Even if he's not ready for a full workload, Bush performed well in Thursday's game and brings a wealth of starting experience with him as a quality insurance policy.

Cornerback

Starters: Riq Woolen, Devon Witherspoon

Reserves: Mike Jackson, Tre Brown, Coby Bryant

Tre Brown's 2023 preseason debut was a mixed bag as he allowed a touchdown and produced a pass breakup in coverage

Coming out of Thursday's win, the Seahawks still have to figure out who will start opposite of Woolen, as Jackson and Brown had inconsistent preseason debuts and remain locked in a head-to-head battle. Meanwhile, Witherspoon could still factor into that competition as well and at minimum, he will be playing extensive snaps out of the slot in nickel and dime packages. Showing versatility playing safety as well as nickel corner and special teams, Bryant should be on the roster, though his path to regular defensive playing time remains murky.

Safety

Starters: Quandre Diggs, Jamal Adams

Reserves: Julian Love, Joey Blount, Jerrick Reed II

With Adams close to returning, the Seahawks should soon have their dynamic safety trio intact for the start of the regular season. With Love added to the mix alongside Adams and Diggs, all three players should see plenty of snaps on the field together in the regular season.

From a depth perspective, Blount dodged a bullet avoiding a serious back injury in practice last week and assuming he will be back on the practice field in the near future, he has the inside track for a backup spot. Seattle will likely keep one more safety with Reed and undrafted rookie Jonathan Sutherland battling for the spot and for now, the sixth-round pick has the upper hand with his ability to play both safety spots as well as nickel cornerback.

Specialist

Starters: Jason Myers, Michael Dickson, Chris Stoll

While there will be a new member of the three-team special teams battery following the departure of Tyler Ott, Stoll has acclimated well as an undrafted rookie at the long snapper position and Myers was perfect on field goals and extra points in the preseason opener. His snaps to Dickson on punts also were crisp, a good sign heading into the new season.

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