Seahawks Announce Initial 53-Man Roster

Here's a look at all 53 players on the Seattle Seahawks roster - for now:

Closing in on the start of the regular season, the Seattle Seahawks revealed their initial 53-man roster on Tuesday with few surprises.

Of course, this will not be Seattle's roster two weeks from now, as teams have the next 24 hours to put in claims on waived players from other teams, conduct trades, and place players on injured reserve. Plenty of shuffling the deck will happen in coming days, leaving the initial 53 as little more than history.

Here's a look at all 53 players on the Seahawks roster - for now:

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Quarterbacks: Geno Smith, Drew Lock

Unlike a year ago when Smith and Lock were battling to replace Russell Wilson, there wasn't a question in regard to who would be Seattle's starting quarterback this summer. With both players fully in command of Shane Waldron's offense and playing well throughout training camp and the preseason, there's no drama at the position rolling into the 2023 season with Smith entrenched as the starter on a new three-year contract and Lock taking a big step forward in his second season as a backup in the same system. 

Running Backs: Ken Walker III, Zach Charbonnet, DeeJay Dallas, Kenny McIntosh

Injuries have been a persistent issue for Seattle's backfield since camp opened in late July with Walker battling a groin injury, Charbonnet missing time early with a shoulder injury, and McIntosh still working back from a knee sprain. But all three of those players either have already returned or should be ready for the season opener, and barring no injuries in the two weeks before the season opener, Walker and Charbonnet should provide a fun one-two punch out of the backfield. Meanwhile, Dallas' special teams skills and third down flexibility helped him stave off undrafted rookie SaRodorick Thompson Jr.

Receivers: DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Jake Bobo, Dareke Young, Cody Thompson

With Metcalf and Lockett atop the depth chart, Seattle will once again have as much star power at the receiver position as any team in the NFL. Unfortunately, Smith-Njigba may not be quite ready for the start of the season after recently undergoing wrist surgery, Eskridge will miss the first six games with a suspension, and Young likely will need a procedure to repair a lingering hip injury, creating major questions at the position beyond the dynamic duo out of the gate.

Assuming Smith-Njigba won't be ready for Week 1 and doesn't make a miraculous recovery, Bobo will benefit the most from his absence after an outstanding training camp and preseason. Like Young, Thompson likely is an injured reserve candidate, so receivers such as Cade Johnson, Easop Winston, and Matt Landers who were cut on Tuesday could return in quick order if they clear waivers.

Tight Ends: Will Dissly, Noah Fant, Colby Parkinson

With the full cast of characters returning, including Dissly being back from a knee injury that prematurely ended his 2023 season, the Seahawks will roll out the same tight end trio that combined for more than 1,000 receiving yards and nine touchdowns a year ago while also providing steady blocking in the run game. Entering contract years, Fant and Parkinson will have much to play for and could be bigger factors early in the season with Smith-Njigba potentially sidelined. 

Offensive Line: Charles Cross, Damien Lewis, Evan Brown, Phil Haynes, Abraham Lucas, Olu Oluwatimi, Anthony Bradford, Stone Forsythe, Jake Curhan

Coming off stellar rookie seasons as a rookie starters, Cross and Lucas will be counted on to take sophomore leaps protecting Smith and opening up holes in the run game, while the new-look interior will include new starters in Brown and Haynes who hope to prove themselves upgrades over their predecessors. Behind them, Forsythe and Curhan each offer versatility and prior NFL starting experience, while Oluwatimi and Bradford will be waiting in the wings as rookies if the new veteran starters falter at center and right guard.

EDGE/Outside Linebackers: Uchenna Nwosu, Darrell Taylor, Boye Mafe, Derick Hall, Tyreke Smith

After being rewarded with a massive extension prior to training camp, Nwosu will be aiming to improve upon his breakout 2022 season and could have a new running mate across from him in Mafe, who turned heads by demonstrating remarkable improvement across the board in training camp and the preseason. Looking to keep players fresh in a rotation, Taylor should be a dangerous situational rusher with double-digit sack potential once he returns from a shoulder injury, while Hall has demonstrated plenty of twitch and pass rushing ability in the preseason and Smith flashed enough to beat out undrafted rookie Levi Bell.

Defensive Ends: Dre'Mont Jones, Mario Edwards, Myles Adams, Mike Morris

Leading the charge for a new-look defensive tackle group, Jones and Edwards will earn the start against the Rams eager to lead a much improved run defense and wreak havoc as interior pass rushers. Depth behind them took a significant hit with Morris undergoing a shoulder procedure, however, and with the rookie not expected to be available for a while, Adams is the only other player at the position with regular season experience and should be in line to easily blow away his previous career-high for snaps. Recovering from a shoulder procedure, Morris may be an injured reserve candidate, opening up a spot for a returning player such as Jacob Sykes or a waiver claim.

Nose Tackles: Jarran Reed, Cameron Young

If there's a position on Seattle's roster that still remains ripe to skepticism, the decision to move forward with Reed at nose tackle and the untested Young as his only backup likely takes the cake and eats it too. In time, Bryan Mone and potentially Faoliu could return to bolster the middle of the defensive line as traditional nose tackle types, but from the outset, lack of size and depth will be substantial concerns for a team that finished 30th defending the run last season. This could be a prime spot for a waiver claim off another roster in the next few days.

Inside Linebackers: Bobby Wagner, Jordyn Brooks, Devin Bush, Jon Rhattigan

If Brooks, who underwent ACL surgery in January, hadn't made a ludicrous recovery from the injury to position himself to be ready to play in Week 1, the Seahawks likely would have considered keeping a fifth linebacker. But with Wagner and Bush already on the roster as proven starter-caliber players and Brooks practicing full speed two weeks away from the opener, they opted to keep only a special teams mainstay in Rhattigan for the time being.

Cornerbacks: Riq Woolen, Devon Witherspoon, Mike Jackson, Tre Brown, Coby Bryant, Artie Burns

Throughout training camp, Jackson and Brown have been battling for the right to start across from Woolen, who didn't play in the preseason but should be ready to roll for Week 1 after slowly being brough back from knee surgery. At this point, while it's possible, if not inevitable, either veteran will receive the starting nod against the Rams, Witherspoon's impending return from a hamstring injury coupled with inconsistent play from both Jackson and Brown in the preseason opens the door for the rookie to vault into the starting lineup despite not playing in the preseason at all.

Providing experienced depth with Witherspoon's status uncertain, Bryant and Burns both earned spots as insurance policies and will be cote special teams players at minimum.

Safeties: Quandre Diggs, Jamal Adams, Julian Love, Jerrick Reed II

Recently coming off the PUP list, Adams may or may not be ready to play in Week 1 and depth isn't looking quite as good as it did 24 hours ago. For one, Joey Blount was waived with an injury designation and if he clears waivers, he reverts to season-ending injured reserve. Secondly, the team also surprisingly released undrafted rookie Jonathan Sutherland, choosing to keep sixth-round pick Jerrick Reed II. Still, with Diggs and Love ready to roll as starters and Adams being close to ready, this should be a position of great strength, especially if Sutherland comes back on the practice squad.

Specialists: Michael Dickson, Jason Myers, Chris Stoll